


In & Out of Time

by dolliewithasmile



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: AU, Angst, Comfort, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Hurt, Love, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Slow Burn, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-03-31 19:34:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 42,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13981866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolliewithasmile/pseuds/dolliewithasmile
Summary: Rhett was always a lover of the multiverse theory, that is until he happened to slip into another reality with no way of coming back.





	1. Let Me Go Back

Rhett pulled into the driveway and put his SUV into park, he unlocked the doors and looked over at Link with a tired smile. "See you tomorrow, man."

Link unfastened his seatbelt, "You picking me up, or am I picking you up?" He turned to look at Rhett.

Rhett chuckled, "Hope so!" He grinned, quoting himself from the video they had done where they kissed through Stevie's hands. "I'll come and get ya."

Link guffawed, holding his side. "You're such an idiot man, I love you." He clapped Rhett on the shoulder and gave him a smile before exiting the car. He fished his keys from his pocket and walked to the door, as he slid the key into the lock he focused on the glass of the window to his left, in its reflection he saw Rhett's car sitting still. A smile came to Link's face, ever since they were teenagers Rhett always made sure Link was safe inside before driving away, twenty three years later and he still waited. 

Link turned the key and opened the door, "I'm home." He whispered to an empty house and slammed the door behind him. 

 

-

 

Rhett watched Link step into his house and with a soft sigh he put his car into reverse and backed out of the driveway. The distance from Link's house to Rhett's own was barely two miles, but he always made sure to drive it extra slow, to take his time and enjoy the silence and lack of responsibility for just a few minutes. 

Rhett parked in the driveway and made his way up to the house, fiddling with his keyring to find the front door key. He unlocked the door and opened it, wincing when he heard several children laughing and screaming in the living room. "Uh..Jessie?" He called.

Jessie stepped out of the kitchen, her gloved hands dripping with sink water. "Yeah, babe?"

Rhett pointed to the living room with a raised eyebrow. "Guests?"

"Christy and Link needed a night to themselves, I told her the kids could stay here tonight."

"Oh, ok. Damn, it's been a while since they've had a date night." Rhett tossed his keys onto the table beside the door and stepped into the kitchen.

Jessie huffed and walked back over to the sink. "It's not a date night, Rhett."

Rhett's eyebrows furrowed, "What is it, then?"

"Things haven't been going too well for them these past few months."

"What? No way, Link didn't tell me-"

"He doesn't tell you _everything_ , Rhett." Jessie said gently.

"What do you mean? Yes he does-"

"He's seeing another woman." Jessie whispered.

Rhett's world slowed to a crawl, he could hear his own heart beat in his ears, "He'd never..h-how.." He cleared his throat and stepped closer to Jessie, "What makes Christy think he's seeing another woman?"

Jessie paused in her cleaning and shook her head, "He hasn't touched her in months, and now all of a sudden he's coloring his hair black again, joined a new gym and stopped going to the one he'd go with her to. Either he's cheating or he's going through his midlife crisis, either way he refuses to talk to Christy about it, so she asked me to watch the kids for a night so she can get away and think."

Rhett crossed his arms, "I'll talk to him about it and find out what's going on." He said with a sigh and kissed the back of Jessie's head, "I'll be back in a bit, baby."

"Be careful." Jessie kissed his shoulder and resumed her cleaning of the dishes while the kids ran around wild throughout the house.

Rhett left the house and hurried to his car, he buckled himself in and pulled out his phone, quickly tapping the keys in a message to Link, a migraine beginning to form. 

'Hey, I'm coming over.' He nervously tapped his fingers on the steering wheel while he waited for a response.

'I'll leave the door unlocked.'

Rhett took a deep breath and started the car, put it into reverse and backed out of the driveway. He sped down the road, his left hand perched on his chin while he anxiously bit at his nails. He pulled into Link's driveway, cut off the car and ran to the door, not bothering to lock his car.

Rhett threw the door open and as soon as his foot crossed the threshold he felt a tightening in his chest, he dropped to his knees clutching at his heart, "Help-" 

Suddenly, the darkened room was lit, the color of the walls changed, the dinner table that had five chairs now only held a place for two, and the portrait of Link and Christy that was in the foyer disappeared along with the multitude of lamps Christy was forever buying. The tightening in his chest faded, Rhett gasped for air and shakily brought himself to his feet. "Jesus..what the hell?" He whispered in confusion as he looked around, what had happened? "Link?" He asked, taking a step forward, his eyebrows furrowed.

Link peeked his head out of the kitchen with a smile, "There you are!" He stepped out of the kitchen, holding a glass of red wine in each hand. "I'm so sorry you had a hard day, baby, c'mere." 

Rhett's eyes widened and he took a step back in confusion. "Wh-"

Link smiled and held out a glass to Rhett. "Drink up, it's our favorite." He beamed with pride and sipped his wine.

Rhett took the wine and quickly gulped down its contents, "I'm gonna need to play catch up here, Link. What in the hell is going on? When did you and Christy decide to redecorate? And-"

Link's smile fell, "I'm sorry, who?"

"Your wife, Link.." 

"Did you go to the bar after work?" He stepped closer, an eyebrow quirked.

Rhett pushed past Link and went to the dining room and grabbed a chair, sitting down with his head hanging.

Link rushed over, "Are you having another migraine? Do you need me to get your meds?" He knelt down to Rhett's legs and gave his knee a squeeze, jumping back a little when Rhett flinched.

Rhett lifted his head and as he looked over at Link, he saw from the corner of his eye a portrait hanging beside the front door above the keyholder. "Link..what is that?" He asked in a shaky whisper.

Link smiled, "That's us, silly. Remember, we took it on our honeymoon in Hawaii?"

Rhett's gaze met Link's, "Link, we're..we're not married. I mean I love you like a brother, but..we're both married, to our wives." He spoke slowly, trying desperately not to lose his mind. 

"Rhett, please..you're scaring me talking like this. I mean..is it something I did? Are you mad at me?" He rubbed Rhett's knee.

Rhett looked to Link's hand, then to his own and noticed they both wore matching wooden wedding bands, he gasped and quickly stood up, "Um, y-you know I think I will take something, this migraine is killing me." 

Link nodded and stood, hurrying over to the medicine cabinet in the kitchen. 

"What the fuck is going on..?" Rhett whispered to himself and hurried to the hallway, looking into each of the rooms as he passed them to see what else had changed. He stopped when he came to Lily's room to find that it was an exercise room. His head throbbed as he checked Lando and Lincoln's room, it was now an office. He dropped to his knees, feeling tears fill his eyes, he pulled his phone from his pocket and searched through his contacts for Jessie's number, but it was nowhere to be found. With trembling hands, Rhett dialed her number and pressed the phone to his ear. After four rings, Jessie picked up. 

"Hello?"

"Jessie! Hey honey, it's me-"

"Excuse me, who is this?"

"It's Rhett!"

"I'm sorry, I don't know how you got this number, but I don't know a Rhett." Click.

Rhett's body froze, tears rolling down his cheeks as he sat there, the sound of the dial tone echoing in his mind.

"Here you go, baby, take this." Link crouched down next to Rhett, holding two pills and a glass of water. 

Rhett dropped his phone and quickly took the pills, chasing them down with water as fast as he could. 

"Come on, let's get you to the bedroom." Link took Rhett's hand gently and helped him up.

"I-I'm fine, thank you." Rhett pulled away from Link as soon as he was steady. An idea struck him: everything had changed when he had crossed the threshold of Link's house, maybe doing it again would change things back. "You know, actually I think I need to go for a walk." He rushed to the front door and threw it open, he took a deep breath and crossed the threshold. Nothing happened. Rhett's eyes widened, "What?" He walked back in and then out again, still nothing. He looked inside the house, everything was still the same, and Link stood there with concerned eyes at Rhett's strange behavior. 

Rhett was a firm believer in the multiverse theory, and if his crazy theory was true, that meant he had somehow walked through his reality into another one. He felt fear creep up his spine, "Link..where's my children?" He whispered, his voice quivering.

Link sighed, "We don't have any, Rhett. I thought we both agreed we weren't ready yet."

Rhett choked out a sob, leaning against the doorframe for support. 

"Oh honey-" Link reached out a hand.

"Just stay away from me!" Rhett collapsed onto the ground, holding his knees tight to his chest as he let his tears flow freely. "How will I ever get back home?"

"You are home.." Link leaned down.

"No! My home with my wife! With my kids! I'm not supposed to be here, this isn't my life, don't you get it?!" Rhett hissed.

Link sighed, "I'm sorry I'm not enough for you, Rhett. I'm sorry our life together isn't what you want.." Link stood and wiped beneath his glasses at the fresh tears emerging, "I'm going to bed." He whispered and disappeared down the hallway to the master bedroom.

Rhett sniffled and gently banged his head against the doorway in frustration, "Please, let me go back. Let me go back.." He repeated those words until his voice was hoarse and the sun began to rise.

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Unanswered Questions

Rhett was awoken by the sound of pots and pans clanking around. He groaned, his neck and back stiff from staying in the same position all night, his body slightly shivering from the chilled morning air coming from the door that had stayed open all night. He took a deep breath and looked around him, finding that nothing had changed, he was still stuck. Nervously he walked into the kitchen, "Link..?" He asked gently, his insides churning.

Link took a pan from the rack above the stove and turned, his eyes red and puffy; Rhett's heart broke, he had never meant to hurt his best friend like this. "Oh, you actually want to talk to me now?" He bit his lip and looked away.

"Look Link, I didn't mean to hurt you, it's just.." Rhett sighed, "None of this is familiar to me, I don't know how I got here. Suddenly you and I a-are married, I mean, it's all a lot to take in." He sat down at the kitchen island, hanging his head in defeat.

"Midlife crisis. Great. Just what I need this week." Link sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"No. I mean, I really _don't know_ how I got here. This _isn't_ my house.." Rhett lifted his head, his eyes red and stinging with tears.

Link turned, his heart breaking when he saw the seriousness in Rhett's eyes. "Rhett-"

"I came into the house, and I fell, I couldn't breathe, my chest was killing me."

Link's anger dissipated immediately, "We need to get you to the hospital, this is serious Rhett, you know Doctor Jeffries told you that you have to keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check or you'll have an attack. Did you hit your head when you fell? Is that why you've been acting this way?" Link stepped over to Rhett and gingerly felt around his scalp for any sign of injury, desperate for an answer to his husband's weird behavior. 

Rhett let Link feel around his head, he sniffled and raised his gaze to Link's, "I just don't know what's going on, Link.. _I don't recognize any of this_."

"Well come on, I'm taking you to the hospital, we'll find out what's going on. Together." Link rushed over to the key holder by the door and grabbed his keys, he opened the door and got into the car, unlocking the door for Rhett. 

Rhett wiped at his nose and sniffed, stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed Link to the car. He got into the passenger side and buckled himself in, biting his nails.

"Don't worry, baby, we'll figure this out, just stay calm." Link rubbed Rhett's thigh as he drove out of the driveway.

Rhett looked down at Link's hand, finding that its presence there was actually a comfort, he had to remind himself that regardless of the current circumstances, Link was still his best friend, and it brought him ease that he had come to this reality rather than one where they never became friends. Rhett shook his head, he couldn't imagine a world where Link wasn't a constant in his life, no matter the challenge, he could always count on Link to be there to help him through it. Slowly, Rhett reached out his hand and took Link's, giving it a squeeze as he took a deep breath, the touch of his hand brought him back to the day when they took an ice bath and Link grabbed his hand, knowing that his touch would ground him, they had always been each others rock. 

 

-

 

Rhett stared at the MRI machine nervously, he hated small spaces, and after having MRI's done on his back in the past he knew full and well how tight the fit would be inside the tube, and how loud the machine would be.

"Mister McLaughlin, you can lay down now." The tech said gently, noticing Rhett's apprehension. "Your husband is right in the next room, he'll be able to see you and talk to you."

Rhett nodded and laid down, he placed his hands on his stomach and took a deep breath as the tech placed a brace around his head to keep his head as still as possible, only reinforcing the anxiety he felt.

"Try to keep still, Mister McLaughlin, and if you need the test to stop for any reason just give this a squeeze, ok?" The tech placed a ball hooked up to a wire in his hand and left the room. The tech gave a smile to Link before sitting down at the monitors, he pressed the intercom button, "I'm beginning the test now, Mister McLaughlin." He looked over at Link, "He can hear you, feel free to talk to him, he seems a little nervous."

"Yeah, he has claustrophobia, poor thing." Link sighed and pressed the intercom button, "I'm right here with you, Rhett. I'm not going anywhere."

A tear fell down Rhett's face as the machine began to whir and knock, almost loud enough to drown out Link's voice, but he desperately clung to Link's voice, it was the only thing keeping him from losing it. 'This is it', he thought, 'Link thinks I've lost it, he just doesn't understand, I'm not meant to be here, and now I'm stuck. Jessie..god I'm so sorry.'

After what seemed hours, the machine began to wind down and the slab began sliding out of the tube. Rhett's fingers drummed against his stomach anxiously as he waited for the tech to remove the head brace, the moment it came off he sat up, his heart racing as if he had just escaped a pack of wolves.

Link smiled and stepped over to Rhett, wrapping his arms around him, "I got you."

Rhett's body froze, this wasn't like the hugs he and Link normally shared, this hug carried weight, the gentle caress pressed words of love into his skin. He felt the tears build up again and wrapped his arms tightly around Link, sobbing into his shoulder while the brunette stroked his back.

 

-

 

 

Link grumbled as he got into the car, "That neurologist doesn't know shit, Rhett. I mean it had to be something that caused this, people don't just forget their entire lives.." He buckled himself in and gripped the steering wheel, "I know it's a sensitive subject, babe, but didn't your grandparents have Alzheimer's? I mean, it could be possible that you are experiencing it early.." He turned to Rhett, trying to keep his tone as gentle as possible.

Rhett sighed and rubbed his temples, "It's not Alzheimer's, Link. This isn't my reality. Last night I was coming over to your house to talk to you about what was going on between you and Christy, your _wife_ , and when I stepped inside everything changed. I must've stepped through a portal into an alternate universe. I know I sound crazy but you heard the doctor, I don't have any drugs in my system, I wasn't drunk last night, and I don't have any brain damage. I'm telling the truth, man." He looked to Link, eyes prickled with tears, "You have to believe me.."

Link remained quiet for a moment, "You did seem different when you came home, you-you usually can't keep your hands off me, you're always calling me the sweetest things. When you came home you looked so lost and scared.." He sniffled and banged his fist into the steering wheel. "So..if you're telling the truth, what..what happens in your universe, Rhett?"

"We met in first grade, we were both held in from recess by our teacher, and we stayed best friends all the way through college-"

"Yes, yes, I know that part already. That happened here too." 

"In college you met Christy who would later become your wife, we graduated and we started our families. You've got three kids: Lily, Lincoln, and Lando."

"And what about you, Rhett?" Link asked quietly.

"I met Jessie my freshman year in college, but we didn't date until later. We got married after you and Christy, her and I have two boys, Locke and Shepherd. I tried to call Jessie last night, and she-she didn't even know who I was.." His voice cracked. 

"I'm sorry, Rhett." Link sighed and used his tshirt to wipe his nose. "I don't know what to say.." He knew it had to be true, Rhett had never lied to him before.

"What changed between us, Link? I mean, h-how did-" Rhett motioned between them, "this happen?"

Link leaned back in his seat, "We went camping our first year in college with Greg, but we made the mistake of not checking the news to see what the weather was going to be like. The first night we stayed it poured down freezing rain, so we all had to strip down to our boxers and cuddle up until the storm passed. And well-" Link blushed.

"Wait..I remember that night. You were behind me, you passed out early, and I felt something against my back.." Rhett felt heat creep up his neck.

"I wasn't asleep, Rhett, I got excited being so close to you. You turned to face me and you kissed me." Link bit his lower lip and looked away.

"And in my universe I thought you were asleep, and I moved away.." Rhett whispered. He hadn't thought of that day in years, looking back he could still feel the chill of panic and confusion running down his spine. "So this reality is what would've happened had I.." He swallowed, suddenly finding his throat to be dry. 

Link noticed the agitation Rhett was feeling, "I'm sorry. Let's change the subject." He chuckled nervously and fiddled with his wedding ring.

Rhett smiled, "You do that a lot when we film Ear Biscuits." He pointed to Link's nervous habit.

Link paused, "When we film what?" He snorted, "What in the hell is an 'Ear Biscuit'?"

"In my world we film this daily talk show on youtube called 'Good Mythical Morning', and every week we do a podcast called 'Ear Biscuits'. The main show we do a lot of crazy stuff, like one day we ate pig anus soup, but Ear Biscuits is more tame, we just sort of sit down and talk about our lives."

Link couldn't help but smile, "It's like the daily vlogs you and I do, we do a whole 'day in the life of' kinda thing."

"But wait, yesterday you said that you were sorry I had a hard day at work, I have a job?"

"Yesterday you were doing some pick up shots for this youtube red series we made called Lies and Lovers, it's a bit of a crime drama slash romance. We're done for the most part, there's just a few more scenes of yours that need re-doing, you fought me on it, but I know it'll piece together better this way."

Rhett chuckled and shook his head, "Different universe and you're still a control freak." He teased. "We have a youtube red series too, it's called Buddy System, it's about our friendship and how we always are there for each other, through all the craziness in our lives."

"I guess it's not so bad, I'm just glad that you and I are still close in your world, Rhett." Link smiled, but behind his smile was a broken heart, his love was gone and in his place was a completely different Rhett, one who wasn't in love with him, it was like some sick joke. 

"So..what do we do? I mean-" Rhett sighed, "I'm sorry I'm not him, I hate seeing you hurt, but it seems like I'm gonna be stuck here for at least a little while, so what do we do?" He looked to Link, his rock, helplessly searching his beautiful blue eyes for the answers he needed.

"Well we have to keep up appearances for the vlogs, I mean it's our only source of income, and when we aren't filming I guess we just have to try and find a way to send you back." Link shrugged.

"Thank you for understanding, Link.." 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	3. Unfamiliar

As Link parked in the driveway, Rhett took a deep breath, this was all so much to take in, he could hardly believe this was all happening. 

"Hey." Link pressed a hand to Rhett's shoulder as gently as he could after noticing that he had been zoning out. "We're home."

"Oh, right. Sorry, man." Rhett shook his head and got out of the car, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he walked up to the front door.

Link followed shortly after and unlocked the front door, stepping in first. He turned the lights on and pointed down the hallway that lead to the living room, "You can go watch some tv if you want, I've got some dinner to start." 

Rhett looked at him with an eyebrow raised, "You cook?"

Link chuckled, "I'm guessing the other me doesn't?"

"Man, you'd burn down the house making toast. The only thing you can make is cereal."

Link snickered, "Well, you helped me, it took quite a bit of help on your part though to be honest. The first time I ever made bread was a disaster, you read me the recipe while I made it, and I misheard you, ended up putting six cups of yeast into the mix and it rose so high it touched the heating elements in the oven and caught fire. That was a fun day."

Rhett bit his lip to keep from laughing, "That does sound like you." He shook his head and walked down the hallway to the living room. He sat down on the couch and grabbed the tv remotes, fiddling with them until he found the right remote to turn the tv on. As he sat there watching a re-run of The Walking Dead, he noticed a shelf in the entertainment center that held books, but they didn't have titles. Rhett stood and walked over to the shelf and knelt down, taking out one of the books, as he turned it over to reveal the front he realized it wasn't a book, it was a photo album.

Rhett felt nervous and guilty, he felt as if looking in on these photos was somehow infringing on their privacy, but how could it, it was still him, just a different version; and Rhett couldn't deny the curiosity twisting in his stomach. He sat down with the photo album in his lap and opened it, the first page said '1983 - 1995', this album included their childhood together all the way through their last year of high school. Turning the pages, Rhett couldn't help but smile at the many pictures of the two and their wacky poses and awful hair cuts; those were the days, the days when nothing else mattered but their friendship and having fun, life wasn't complicated, they weren't weighted down by the world on their shoulders. Rhett stopped on the picture of he and Link during prom when they posed together shaking hands and lifting one leg in the air. He ran a finger across the picture, remembering that their dates stood in awkward silence while the boys had a photo shoot of their own, completely neglecting their dates, that's the way it had always been, their friendship had always come first.

Rhett closed the album and placed it back on the shelf, his fingers hesitating against the next album, unsure of what would lay within, Link had said that it was their freshman year in college that everything had changed. With a deep breath he took the album out and opened it, looking down at the dates, it was all four years of their college life; he turned the page and recognized quite a few of the pictures, but as he flipped through, he found ones that were never taken in his world. As he looked through the photos, he noticed a drastic change in their demeanor, they weren't just best friends, they were _lovers_. Pictures of Rhett with his arm around Link's hips, pictures of them holding hands and making kissing faces at the other; Rhett's fingers stilled at the page when his eyes laid upon the next photo, his hand was cupping Link's chin and their lips were pressed together. Rhett's mouth went dry and his heart skipped a beat, he quickly closed the album and put it back on the shelf.

"Dinner will be ready in about an hour." Link said as he walked down the hall, he stepped into the living room and blushed when he saw Rhett sitting by the photo albums. "Oh." 

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to snoop." Rhett stood, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No, no, it's okay. I mean, you're more than welcome to look, it's your life too, well, in a way anyways." Link looked away, scratched his arm nervously and sat down on the couch. "You know, if..if there's any questions you have, you can ask me, I don't mind."

Rhett sat down on the other end of the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "What happened after..'that night'?"

"Well, we both didn't talk about it for a couple weeks, we were too afraid to. We did any and everything to avoid talking about what happened. Then a few weeks later, it happened again, you came out of the shower and we just looked at each other, it's like we were pulled by magnets or something. It took us a couple months for us to finally realize that it wasn't just the whole 'college experimentation' thing, but that we actually liked each other. We dated in secret for a year, came out to our friends the next year. After college we got an apartment with Greg and Tim, and the next year you asked me to marry you."

Rhett sat in silence, rubbing his knees as he thought to himself. "So..does this mean in my world you like me? It seems the only different between our worlds was that I acted that night instead of ignoring it.."

"I don't know, Rhett. I might've been asleep and dreaming about Pamela Anderson for all I know, I just know that in _this_ world at least, I wanted you." Link chewed his lower lip, "I mean, if the other me saw you in that way, don't you think he would've acted on it by now? We don't know the answers, so don't freak out, we're gonna get you home, and everything will go back to normal for you." He scooted closer toward Rhett and patted his shoulder.

"But what if I never go back..? I'll never see my wife and kids again, and you'll.." Rhett sighed.

Link's hand slid from Rhett's shoulder, "I have faith, Rhett, I just have to, it's the only thing keeping me from breaking down right now."

"So..what's the other me like?"

"Here, I can show you." Link took the tv remote and clicked on the 'youtube' app, scrolled through a couple pages and clicked on a video called 'Move In Day!!' that had a grinning Link as the thumbnail. Link sat back and crossed his legs on the couch, smiling with teary eyes up at the screen.

 

_"It's move in daaay!" Link cheered as the camera focused on his face, "Rhett and I just arrived at our new house, take a look!" He turned the camera to face the house and then brought the camera back to his face, "It's so beautiful. What do you think, Rhett?" Link leaned against Rhett and put them both into frame._

_Rhett put the moving van into park and grinned at the camera, "I love it. It's perfect, just like someone I know." He chuckled and kissed Link's cheek, Link giggled._

_The scene changed, now showing a room full of opened boxes and furniture, "It's official, our first day in the new house is coming to a close, I feel really good, we've almost unpacked everything! One more day and we should be good to go!" Link paused and sniffed the air, "Ooh. The hubby is making dinner, let's go see, shall we?" He grinned and raced down the hallway._

_Rhett came into view, his back facing the camera as he busied himself at the stove, he reached for the lid to a pan on the stove and hissed when the steam burnt his hand, he quickly jerked his hand away, "Ahh! Dammit." He groaned._

_"Oh gosh, are you okay?" Link stepped over to Rhett._

_"Yeah I'm fine babe. Don't worry." Rhett smiled, running his hand under cool water in the sink._

_Link pointed the camera toward the stove, showing off the many pots and pans full of food sizzling away. "Mmm. This looks delicious, you didn't have to go out of your way tonight! It's move in day, that means we're supposed to gorge ourselves on take out." Link teased._

_"After all the work you did today, you deserve a home cooked meal. I feel so bad that I wasn't able to help you move the furniture much." Rhett sighed and wrapped his arm around Link's waist._

_"Don't feel bad baby, your back is giving you grief, you should be sitting down you know, not standing up making me dinner."_

_"It's the least I could do." Rhett kissed Link's forehead and went back to the stove, stirring a few of the pots._

_Link grinned into the camera and whispered, "I've got the best husband ever."_

_The scene changed once more, Rhett and Link were sitting at the dinner table. "This is delicious, Rhett, thank you." Link stuffed his mouth with green beans, happily munching away._

_Rhett gave a wink to the camera and filled their glasses with red wine, "Cheers, babe, to a new home and an even happier life." They clinked glasses and the scene changed for the final time._

_Link lay in bed next to Rhett who was asleep and sprawled out in bed, snoring softly. "He's such a light weight, two glasses of wine and he's out. Today couldn't have been more perfect. Thank you all for joining us today, it means the world that ya'll are here to share in our daily lives, we love you. Night." Link whispered into the camera and the screen went black._

 Rhett remained quiet, a lump gathering in his throat, they had looked so happy together, it seemed so effortless. 

"Rhett..?" 

"I'm sorry, it's just..it's so weird. Here I am, and _there_ I am, but..it isn't _me_. I still keep waiting to wake up and find that this is just a dream."

"Me too." Link whispered. He wiped at his eyes inconspicuously, and cleared his throat, "So, what's Jessie like? That was her name, right?"

"Yeah, my Jess. Her dad was our dentist in Buies Creek."

"Oh, really? I remember him, my mom worked with him."

"Mhm. Well, she's just.." Rhett trailed off, finding it hard to describe her, and the more he thought the more he found himself comparing the look he saw in the eyes of Link in the video, versus the look his wife gave him, and it was polar opposites. Jessie looked at him with adoration in her eyes, Link looked at him as if his world began and stopped with Rhett. Rhett cleared his throat, "Um, what's for dinner?"

"Lasagna. Homemade. Ooh, speaking of which, let me check the timer." Link stood up, pulled his sagging sweatpants up and left the room.

Rhett caught himself looking at Link's backside and groaned, looking away as he shook his head. "Jesus. Pull yourself together." He told himself.

"It's almost ready, you can go ahead and sit at the table." Link called.

Rhett stepped into the kitchen and sat down at the table, images from the video flashing in his mind, this is where they had sat, this is where they had exchanged looks of love. _No. Not **me**. Him, the other me. I'm not **him**. _ Rhett had to remind himself.

Link brought out bowls of salad and forks, disappeared into the kitchen and brought in two plates with thick squares of lasagna on them. "What do you want to drink?"

"Um, wine is fine I guess. To be honest I don't drink it much, Jessie doesn't let me." Rhett shrugged.

Link quirked an eyebrow, "Doesn't _let_ you? Since when is she your _boss_?" He asked, his tone bitter, he quickly swallowed the jealousy bubbling inside of him, reminding himself that this wasn't his Rhett. "I'm sorry. That was rude." He stepped back into the kitchen.

"No, no, it's okay." Rhett looked down at the plate of lasagna and felt his stomach growl when the savory aroma reached his nostrils, he took his fork and gathered a bite and popped it into his mouth, moaning softly at the taste. "Oh my god. Link. This is delicious!"

Link stepped back into the room with two glasses and a bottle of wine and poured them both a glass before sitting down. "Thank you, it took me quite a few tries to get this recipe just right." He took a sip of his wine, stealing glances at Rhett, longing in his gaze.

 

Rhett set back with a groan, patting his stomach, "That was the best meal I've had in..I don't know how long. Thank you." He smiled and downed the rest of his third glass of wine. 

Link smiled, "You're welcome." He swayed a little in his chair, "Whew. That wine got to me, I usually don't drink that much at dinner."

"Me either, but I figured, what the hell, right?" Rhett chuckled.

Link gathered the dishes and made his way to the kitchen, he put the dishes in the dish washer and set them to wash before walking back into the dining room. "I'm gonna head to bed, you can sleep in my bed, I'll grab the couch."

"No no, I'm not gonna force you out of your bed, I'll take the couch." Rhett stood unsteadily.

"You're the guest, I want you to be comfortable, you've slept on the couch before and it killed your back."

"I mean, we could share the bed, I don't mind. Hell, we've shared beds plenty of times in my world, it's no big thing."

"Well..if you're sure." Link shrugged and walked to the bedroom, he stepped into the bedroom and collapsed on his side of the bed with a groan. 

Rhett followed Link into the room and chuckled when he saw what side Link had laid on, "I knew you'd pick that side."

"Mm?"

"Whenever we'd share a bed at like a hotel or something, you always wanted the side furthest away from the AC or vents so you wouldn't wake up with a sore throat." Rhett smiled and kicked off his shoes and sat down on the edge of the bed, he slid off his socks and paused, unsure of how much he should undress.

Link watched him and cleared his throat, "I know it's a little weird, but it's not like I'm gonna grope ya." He giggled drunkenly. 

Rhett blushed and chuckled, "You say that, but no matter what I always wake up to you spooning me." He undressed slowly and slid under the covers, keeping himself close to the edge of the bed to give them both a little space, thankfully the bed was a king.

"Hey, I can't help that I sleep with reckless abandon." Link murmured sleepily into his pillow.

Rhett rolled his eyes and found himself smiling, no matter the universe, Link was still the same old Link.

 

 

 

 


	4. Aching

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good lord this was a long chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! Every comment, view and kudo is very much appreciated! <3

Rhett stirred in his sleep, feeling warm breath hitting the side of his neck. "Mm. Good morning, baby." He whispered, his voice gruff with sleep. He leaned over and pressed a kiss to the top of the head next to him and opened his eyes, his eyes grew wide when he noticed the mop of black hair wasn't the shoulder length hair of his wife, but the short hair of his best friend. His body grew frigid, he looked down at his body, noticing Link's arm was draped across his stomach under the covers. 

Rhett took a deep breath, gathered his surroundings and cleared his throat, "Uh..Link?" He whispered, shaking the sleeping brunette a little.

"Mm. Five more minutes." Link groaned, nuzzling into Rhett's throat.

Rhett's arms immediately grew goosebumps, he bit his lip nervously and slowly eased himself to the side away from Link, taking Link's arm and gently lifting it so he could get off of the bed. He stood and groaned, his head pulsing with a small hangover, it had been a long time since he had drank so much, and now he was certainly paying for it. He looked down at Link and smoothed the goosebumps on his arms, his neck had always been a sensitive area, it was no surprise that he had reacted in such a way. ' _Don't think too much into it'_ Rhett reminded himself and walked over to one of the dressers in the room, noting that on top were various beard oils and a wooden comb, it was definitely his. 

Rhett opened the top drawer and took out a pair of socks and boxers, and leaned down to the third drawer, ' _Let's see just how alike him and I are_ ' he thought as he pulled out the drawer and he chuckled when he found jeans haphazardly stuffed in with the wrappers of various snacks peeking out underneath. He grabbed a pair of jeans, closed the drawer and opened the second, his eyes widening when he saw his blue and white cloud button up shirt. "An alternate universe and I still have the same sense of style.." He whispered to himself as he took it out. 

He walked over to the adjoining bathroom and closed the door quietly behind him so as to not wake up Link, and undressed. He placed the fresh clothes on the sink and drew back the shower curtain, he turned on the shower and after it got to a warm enough temperature he stepped in, groaning happily as the water washed away his cares, if only for a moment. After washing his body and hair, Rhett turned the water all the way to cold and drew in a deep breath when the freezing water hit his skin, forcing him to wake up. He shut off the shower and stepped out on the plush blue rug. 

Rhett looked at the dual sinks in front of him and chuckled, he could definitely tell which side was Link's, everything was perfectly placed and in order, and the other side was a mass of tubes and jars that the other Rhett probably only used a couple of, the rest having not been touched in months. He walked over to his side of the sink and towel dried his hair quickly, he looked down at the hair and body supplies around his sink until he found a pomade for his hair, after taking a small scoop he worked it into his hands and began styling his hair in his usual way: pressing down the sides but allowing the longer bits of his hair to kind of go the way they wanted, resulting in beautiful waves. 

Link knocked on the bathroom door. "Rhett?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you hurry up? I've gotta pee."

Rhett chuckled, "Go pee in the kitchen sink!" He teased.

Link scoffed, "Ugh, you're gross." He crossed his arms, pouting.

Rhett dried his body as fast as he could and got dressed, tossing his clothes and the towel into the hamper. He opened the door and stepped out, "All yours, man."

"Ugh, thank you!" Link stepped into the bathroom.

Rhett looked towards Link, "Oh come on man!" He groaned and looked away after having been granted a view of Link's ass. 

"Just don't look." Link smirked cheekily and closed the door behind him.

"It's not the _looking_ , it's the _knowing_." Rhett rubbed his temples, "At what point did you get naked last night, anyways?"

"When you asked me to."

Rhett's eyes widened and his stomach clenched, "I..wh-"

Link burst out laughing, "I'm kidding, Rhett, jeez. Calm down." He flushed the toilet and left the bathroom, going over to his dresser for a pair of boxers. "I'm used to sleeping naked, I must've kicked my boxers off while I slept."

Rhett's face reddened, he had had Link cuddle up to him in his sleep countless times, but never naked. He shook the thought from his mind, trying hard to catch his breath from the scare Link had given him.

"Look, I'm sorry, it wasn't on purpose." Link slid on a pair of jeans and a Star Wars tshirt and hobbled around as he put on his socks. "We can go out today and pick up an air mattress for you to sleep on if that's better for you." He shrugged, he couldn't deny the thought hurt, it was strange being in the same room as a Rhett who didn't love him, Rhett had always told him that no matter the world, he would always love him. His Rhett was wrong, and it stung.

"Thank you." Rhett nodded a thanks to Link. "Do we have any other plans today?"

"Just the vlog." Link shrugged. He gasped, "Oh shit.." Reality struck. "How are we gonna pull this off? I mean, our vlogs, we're always together, I mean _him and I are a couple_. Our fans will know somethings up if they see us together like this."

"You're right, that could be a problem.." Rhett scratched his beard, "I mean, we can pretend, it can't be that damn hard, you and I have acted in a lot of sketches in my world, and done our own youtube red show, this could be just like that."

"You'd do that?" Link looked to Rhett.

"Well, I mean we have no idea how long I'll be here, and that's your- _OUR_ source of income, so my hands are kinda tied. How many vlogs do you do a week?"

"Six, we take Sundays off."

"Okay, so six days out of the week." Rhett paced the floor, "I think we can do this, I mean, there's..there's some things that I don't know if I'd be able to do-"

"It's okay Rhett, I'm not asking you to, but we _do_ have to act like a couple. It's only for about fifteen minutes a day, it beats working nine to five as an engineer, right?"

Rhett chuckled and ran his hand through his hair, "Yeah, I guess it does."

"Today we were supposed to go horseback riding, we can still do that if you're up to it." 

"Yeah, sure. I haven't done it in so long, I hope I don't fall on my ass." 

Link snickered and shook his head. "Alright, come on, get your shoes on and we'll go."

 

Rhett's stomach growled, "Mind if we grab some late breakfast before we go?"

"Sure, that'll be great for the vlog. Where do you want to go?" Link slid on a pair of slip on vans and grabbed the camera from his night table, leaving the room.

"How about Alfred's?" Rhett put on his shoes and followed Link.

"Ooh, good choice, haven't been there in a long time." Link took the keys off the table beside the front door, "Think fast." He tossed the keys to Rhett. "You and I alternate who vlogs, today's my day, so that means you drive."

Rhett caught the keys, he found himself smiling as a joke circled his mind, "Good thing too, you always get tickets when you drive." He teased with a smirk and left the house.

Link scoffed and followed behind, "Yeah, but if I remember correctly it was _you_ who wrecked his first car." He got into the passenger side of the car.

Rhett cackled as he got into the driver's side, "You wrecked _your_ first car too!" He tilted his head back laughing, clutching the left side of his chest as he laughed. He could still remember the look of surprise on their faces as the truck fell on it's side and they collided into each other. Just eight months prior they had been driving in Rhett's first car, and they had wrecked on their very first drive down the same exact road. 

Link giggled, pointing the camera to face Rhett as he had his laugh attack, his eyes filled with love over the laughing blond sitting beside him.

Rhett slowly recovered from his laugh attack and wiped at his eyes, he noticed Link filming him and he chuckled, covering the lens with his hand, "Oh my god, I can't believe you filmed that!" 

Link stopped recording and put the camera in his lap, grinning proudly, "Can you blame me? Your face was all red and you were crying, I'd be an idiot not to get that." He chuckled as he strapped himself into the car.

Rhett buckled himself in, started the car, and put it into reverse. He looked behind him as he backed out of the driveway, he popped the car into drive and made his way out of their neighborhood towards Alfred's. 

"About to record, Rhett." Link warned before he turned the camera back on. He turned the screen towards him so he could see what he was filming and pointed the camera at Rhett, "Hey you. Where we off to?" 

Rhett felt anxiety bubble up in his stomach at first, thank god it wasn't live, otherwise they'd both be found out, at least with it being a recording they could both cut and paste all the good parts into the final product. "We're gonna go grab some breakfast before we go on our horse riding trip!" He looked to the camera with a smile and turned his attention back to the road.

"We're gonna have a blast, though this fella right here, he's a little nervous, it's been years since he's ridden a horse. He'll probably fall on his ass." Link snickered, "And let's be honest, I'll be laughing the whole time."

"Alright, that's enough from the peanut gallery." Rhett smirked, "You know what? Let's _race_. You won't stand a chance."

Link turned the camera to Rhett, "Oh? And what does the winner get?"

Rhett paused, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, he had to keep up appearances, right? "Dinner in bed, full service."

"Full service? Well good. Better start working out your wrists now, I don't want you tiring out half way through." Link teased, biting his lip.

Rhett nearly hit the break, he choked back a laugh, his face turning bright red, "That's not what I meant, you _perv_. I'm talking being made dinner, getting your pillows fluffed, and being waited on hand and foot." He gave Link's shoulder a playful shove.

Link turned the camera back to himself, grinning, "Well, it looks like I've got a night of delicious food and foot rubs, cause I'm gonna win this." He stopped recording and looked over at Rhett, nervously gnawing on his lip. "That was pretty good Rhett, nice acting."

"Thank you." Rhett smiled proudly, but he knew that it wasn't acting, it was their usual way of being of joking back and forth with an underlying feeling of love. That must be why they worked so well in this world, they didn't have to work and fight to fit together, they were as natural as breathing.

They arrived at Alfred's ten minutes later, Link smiled to Rhett, "About to record again." He warned and got out of the car, turning on the camera. He pointed it to the sign above the cafe, "Alfred's!" He cheered and pointed the camera at Rhett after he got out the car, "Whatcha gonna order?"

"Ugh, everything, I'm starving." Rhett chuckled and walked over to the building and grabbed the handle to the door and opened it for Link.

"So chivalrous!" Link felt himself blushing and stepped into the cafe. "There's a table." He sat down at a table with booths, knowing that the high backs were going to be good for Rhett's bad back.

Rhett sat down across from Link and grabbed a menu, studying it as his stomach growled.

Link zoomed in at Rhett's face, softly laughing, "So serious. I think he's studying for the SATs." He whispered.

"Huh?" Rhett lifted his gaze.

"Nothing." Link grinned.

A waitress walked over to the table. "Hi! I'm Melissa, can I get you two anything to drink?" Her voice wavered nervously.

"I'll have a hot green tea with extra sugar and lemon, he'll have a medium iced coffee with an extra shot and two pumps of caramel syrup." Rhett told the woman, still looking at the menu.

Link felt his heart flutter, he remembered his favorite drink. 

"Got it. Do you guys want anything to eat?" The waitress asked with a smile.

Rhett set down his menu, "I'll have a banana muffin and a spinach and cheese croissant, please." He looked to Link.

Link thought for a moment, "I'll have a cinnamon roll." He handed the menus to the waitress after she wrote down their orders.

"Okay, I'll be back with that for you in a minute." She stepped away and grabbed one of her coworkers by the arm and pointed their way with a grin.

"Uh oh, we've been spotted." Link chuckled.

Rhett took Link's hand in his and gave a wave to the waitress and her friend. They giggled and waved back before going about their business. "That satisfy them?" He asked Link with a chuckle and let go of his hand.

Link's thumb ran across the tips of his fingers, still warm from Rhett's hand. "What can I say, the fans love us." He paused the recording.

The waitress came back with their orders and set them down, "Can I just say, you guys are my favorite! I love your daily vlogs! You two are just so cute together."

Link exchanged a look with Rhett, Rhett nodded. Link resumed the recording and pointed it at the waitress, "Get this guys, we met one of you at Alfred's! What's your name again?"

"Melissa!" She grinned into the camera.

"Well Melissa, we just want to say thank you, I'm glad that our lives can bring happiness to you and other people, it warms our hearts." Link felt a lump grow in his throat, it was always amazing meeting their fans, they loved them simply for who they were, they asked for nothing but for them to be themselves. 

"No, thank _you_! I mean, it wasn't until I saw your relationship with Rhett that I felt comfortable enough to come out to my family and friends, you made me feel like I had friends backing me up the whole time, even though we've never met."

Rhett felt his heart break, they were changing peoples lives, their love for one another was opening doors for people. He swallowed nervously and smiled over at her, "I'm glad we can be that for you, part of what we do isn't just for us, it's for our viewers, we want them to be happy and feel loved too, because you deserve it. You are what make it all possible, you are what keeps us going and pushes us to be better, and the love we receive from each and every one of you is special and cherished, it means the world to us." 

Link was taken aback by Rhett's words, he was no longer acting, he was speaking of experience that he no doubt had after years of filming that morning show with the other Link; in each world they were reaching people on a personal level and bringing smiles to those who thought they couldn't anymore.

"Thank you, that means a lot." Melissa fought back tears, "You two enjoy your day, ok?" She walked off, dabbing at her eyes.

Link sniffled, "Ugh. Every time." He took a napkin and wiped his eyes and blew his nose. 

"It's okay, Link." Rhett squeezed Link's arm. 

"What you said to her was amazing, Rhett." Link turned off the camera and took a sip of his coffee.

"Well, it's true. In my world, though it's a comedy show, we've been told countless times what a difference we're making, and that's what makes it such a worthwhile experience. We're constantly pushed to be better people, to do better creatively, and the stress of the show, both good and bad, impacts our friendship and even when we fight, we always come back stronger together."

"Enough gushing, or I'll cry again." Link teased with a smile and took another sip of his coffee.

 

-

 

Rhett placed the key in the ignition and turned it, "Where is the place we're going horseback riding?"

"North Beechwood Street, up in Hollywood I think, it's a bit of a drive." 

"Put your gps on, I don't wanna get lost." Rhett drove out of the parking lot and made his way down the street. 

Link opened the gps on his phone and put in their destination and set his phone on his lap, relaxing in his seat as they cruised down the interstate.

"So..how'd I do so far?" Rhett asked quietly, nervously gripping the steering wheel.

Link stayed quiet for a moment, he took a deep breath, "It was like things were back to normal, like I had my Rhett back."

Rhett remained quiet, he only hoped that all this acting wouldn't hurt Link, he knew how he felt, to have his life flipped upside down, lost without the one they loved most of all.

" _You have arrived at your destination_." The gps chirped nearly an hour later. 

Rhett parked and got out of the car, adjusted his shirt and cleared his throat, "Ready?"

Link got out after him and grabbed two gopros and a helmet he could mount them to, "Yeah." He walked to the main building, his shoulders hunched over a little.

"Hey, think of it this way, you've got a fifty fifty chance of getting served dinner in bed tonight." Rhett laughed, clapping Link's shoulder.

Link's demeanor instantly changed, he grinned and shoved Rhett's hand off of him, "You're damn right, buddy roll! Get ready to lose."

The two paid for an hour of horse riding and were escorted to the stables to meet the horses they'd be riding. 

"This here's Viking." The rancher said as he let out an all black horse.

Link looked up at the horse with wide eyes, he was massive!

"And this is Spanky." The rancher led out an all white horse that was significantly shorter than Viking.

Link guffawed, clutching his stomach, "Oh my god, this is too good." He turned on his camera and started recording. "This is my horse, his name is Viking, and this is Rhett's horse. His name's _Spanky_." He said and erupted into a laughing fit.

Rhett frowned, "Uh..you mind switching, Link?" 

"No way!" Link giggled and quickly got onto the horses back, he turned the camera to face himself, "Rhett's so going down. I mean 'Spanky'? Come on." He giggled like a kid and turned the camera to face Rhett.

Rhett struggled to hop onto the horse's back as it kept moving and struggling, "He doesn't like me." He said solemnly as he finally got onto his back, "Great. You get the show worthy horse and I get stuck with the runt." The horse leaned its head to the side and nipped at Rhett's ankle. "Ow! Hey!" He jerked his leg away and looked at Link, his eyes narrowing in displeasure while Link struggled to keep from laughing.

"You said you wanted to race, so, let's race!" Link put the camera into the front and back of the helmet and put on the helmet, tightening the strap under his chin. "Yah!" He yelled and flicked the reigns, the horse lept into action and began racing down the trail. 

"Hey! Wait for me!" Rhett flicked the reigns. Nothing. "Oh come ON!" He jabbed his heels into the horse's sides and it finally began running, though not as fast as Link's. "Cheater! Just wait till I get up there!" He yelled to Link. He couldn't help but find it amusing though, he knew he must look like a complete idiot being such a tall man on a smaller horse that was clearly not meant to race. He watched Link race ahead of him, his shirt flapping in the wind, and with the trees all around them it set a perfect scene, he looked almost.. _majestic_.

Link halted the horse back at the stables and dismounted, he looked behind him and snickered when he saw Rhett struggling to lead the horse forward, finally it had had enough and bucked Rhett right off the back of him. Link gasped and ran to Rhett, "Jesus, are you okay, Rhett?!" He looked down at Rhett who laid perfectly still on his back. "Oh no..oh my god..please, please talk to me!"

Rhett raised a hand and held up one finger to tell him to wait a minute, after a few seconds he sat up and gasped for air, desperate to catch the air that was knocked out of him. "I knew the race was fixed."

Link laughed, relieved that Rhett was alright, "Don't be a sore loser now. Come on." He helped him up and took off his helmet, he turned off the back facing gopro and put it in his pocket and detached the front one, he hugged Rhett from the side, making sure to get them both in frame. "Let's go home, you've got me a dinner to make." Link said with a mischievous grin and turned the camera off. 

"God." Rhett groaned and cracked his back, "Well this was a fun day." He said sarcastically as they made their ways back to the car, his body nearly doubled over in pain. "I should get my money back." He grumbled.

Link got into the car and squeezed Rhett's shoulder, "It's okay, I'll set you up in the jacuuzi when we get home, it'll help your back feel better. I'll make dinner and just tell the fans you did it."

"No. I lost, we made a deal." Rhett raised his chin in pride, but the truth was he felt completely embarrassed and his back was screaming in pain. He drove out of the parking lot and made his way to the nearest Walmart, he parked as close as he could to the store without parking in a handicapped space and hurried into the store, Link trailing behind him. 

"Wait up, Rhett!" Link jogged to catch up with the blond's long strides.

They went to the bedding area and grabbed a king sized air mattress, Rhett stuffed the money into the cashier's hand and told her to keep the change and power walked back to the car. 

"Hey, what's going on? Are you ok?" Link followed him, worrying his lower lip.

"My back feels like it's broken in half, the sooner we get home, the better." Rhett pushed the large box into the trunk.

"I'm sorry baby-I mean, I'm sorry. Want me to drive?" 

Rhett's prideful charade fell, "Yes. Please." He handed Link the keys and got into the passenger side, he pushed the seat back to make room for his long legs and leaned the seat back until he was almost flat, moaning softly at the almost instant relief on his back.

Link got into the driver's side and did his usual ritual of checking the mirrors and moving the seat before he was satisfied enough to back out of the parking spot. 

 

-

 

After Link parked in their house's driveway, Rhett set the seat back up and exited the car, leaning backwards to pop his lower back. Link walked ahead of him and unlocked the front door and held it open for Rhett. Rhett stepped through and immediately went to the kitchen, "Link, do me a favor and set up the air mattress while I make dinner, please?"

"Sure, bo." Link set down the cameras and went back outside to bring in the mattress box. He brought the mattress to the office, and after moving the desk and chair there was enough room for the bed. He unboxed it and laid it down, hooking it up to the outlet and waited as it began to fill up with air. 

Rhett groaned as he leaned down into the fridge, looking at all they had. He noticed peppers and onions in the bottom crisper and smiled when he remembered the tortillas on the counter, he grabbed the peppers and onions and placed them on the counter, and opened the freezer, finding a package of steak. He gathered everything he needed for the fajitas and began chopping up the meat and vegetables. 

Link pushed against the air mattress periodically until he felt it was firm enough and unplugged it, he left the office and made his way into the kitchen. He grabbed the camera and turned it on, he stepped over to Rhett with the camera on him, "Whatcha making, babe?"

"Fajitas. Or as your dad would say, FUH-JY-TUS." Rhett snickered.

Link immediately turned off the camera, "Rhett, we..we um-" He cleared his throat, feeling his eyes water, "We don't talk about my dad.."

"Huh? Why?" Rhett turned to look over at Link, but the look in his eyes told him all he needed to know. "Oh gosh Link..I'm so sorry."

Link stared at the floor, fighting back tears.

Rhett stepped forward and pulled him into a hug, resting his head against his. There was nothing worse than seeing his best friend hurt, and he knew how much Link had idolized his dad, and to have his dad not accept and support him..Rhett knew the pain it would cause. 

"At least my mom and step dad are cool about it. It just still kinda stings, ya know?" Link pulled away first and wiped at his eyes.

"I can only imagine." Rhett leaned against the kitchen island. "What about my parents? How did they react?"

"Your mom was instantly supportive, your dad was a little weird about it at first, but they're all accepting of you." Link thought for a moment and laughed, "Cole said he had always known, said that it was pretty obvious with how close we were."

Rhett felt his throat go dry, he cleared his throat and grabbed the bottle of wine on the counter and uncorked it, taking a big swig from it. 

"Wanna try again..?" Link whispered gently.

Rhett nodded.

Link turned on the camera, "Whatcha making, babe?"

"Fajitas. And yes, I know, no spice for you." Rhett teased with a smile and put two plates out and put tortillas on them. He took the pan off the heat and spooned the beef and vegetable mix onto the two tortillas. He took a bag of shredded cheese, and sour cream from the fridge, and set them on the counter. He sprinkled cheese on both of them and put sour cream on his own, knowing Link wasn't a big fan of it. "Dinner is served." Rhett held out a plate to Link.

"Ah ah ah. Dinner in _bed_ , remember?" Link smirked.

Rhett rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah yeah." He grumbled jokingly and walked down the hallway to the bedroom. 

Link followed and lay in bed, his hand held out. 

Rhett handed him his plate and sat down at the edge of the bed, bringing the wrapped tortilla to his mouth but paused and looked at Link. "Well?"

Link chuckled, "Well it looks great, let's see how it tastes." He told Rhett and the camera. He took a big bite from his fajita, his jaw popping loudly as usual when he ate, "Mm. Babe. This is delicious, thank you. But, you're let go for the rest of the night, dinner in bed is enough, I want you to rest your back. You can service me some other night." He teased with a laugh.

Rhett blushed and bit into his fajita, keeping his eyes away from Link's. "Thanks... _baby_."

Link's heart fluttered, he turned the camera to himself, "Thanks for making us a part of your daily routine guys, we love you." He turned off the camera and set it down. "After dinner, I'll join you in the jacuzzi." He took another bite of his food.

"I think I'm just gonna head to bed, I'm pretty exhausted." Rhett finished his fajita and rubbed his beard, deep in thought.

"Oh, okay." Link sighed almost inaudibly, his eyebrows furrowed. He slowly finished the rest of his fajita. "Here, I'll take that to the kitchen." He took their empty plates to the kitchen and came back, watching the blond silently.

"Well..good night." Rhett took his pillows and the second blanket from the room and brushed past Link, going to the office. He closed the door behind him and laid down his pillows and blanket, his shoulders hunched in stress. He rubbed at his temples in confusion and flopped onto the bed, feeling tears fill his eyes. He sobbed softly into his pillow, whispering over and over a prayer for things to go back to the way they were.

Link pressed his hand to the office door, the sound of Rhett's cries breaking his heart, he sighed and leaned against it, his knees weakened in defeat. Nothing would change. His Rhett would never be back. 


	5. I Break A Little

"Rhett?" Link knocked against the office door gently, "Time to get up, I'm making breakfast." He waited a moment, "Rhett?" He asked again and turned the knob, finding it locked. He felt a sudden pang in his heart, why had Rhett locked the door? They had never shut themselves away from the other, even before they got together. _He's worried I'll make a move on him_ , he thought to himself and sighed, stepping away from the door. Quietly he walked down the hall and went back into the kitchen.

Rhett stirred slowly and groaned a little as he arched his back, his back popped loudly. "Gosh.." He sighed and sat up slowly, he stood unsteadily, using the wobbling air mattress as support. He began his morning routine of stretches for his back and let out a groan of relief when the pain in his back began to subside. He unlocked the office door and looked down the hallway, hearing Link fiddle around in the kitchen.

He walked down the hall into the bedroom and went to his drawer, grabbing a fresh pair of clothes, his outfit from yesterday crumpled and wrinkled from having slept all night in them. He stepped into the bathroom, closed the door behind him, and began to undress. Rhett stepped into the shower and turned on the hot water, sighing as the heat relaxed his tired body. He pressed his forehead to the cool tile and lost himself in his own thoughts, he couldn't help but wonder where the other Rhett was, or if he was just occupying the other Rhett's body for the time being, was the other Rhett's consciousness co-piloting with his? Perhaps the other Rhett's consciousness was paralyzed and he was just a spectator watching as his body was moved about by someone else. What if I never get back? How long will Jessie and the kids look for me? Will she find someone else? Will they think I abandoned them? All these thoughts swirled around his head, he shook his head a little in an attempt to quiet his questioning mind.

After Rhett left the shower and toweled himself off, he styled his hair and got dressed in a t-shirt and sweatpants. He tossed his old clothes in the hamper as he exited the bathroom and sauntered down the hallway to the kitchen, the scent of pancakes and bacon filling the air. "Hey." He said to Link, the brunette's back turned to him.  
Link turned from the stove, "Hey. How'd you sleep?"

"Pretty good, backs feeling a lot better." Rhett sat down on a stool at the kitchen island.

"Really? That's great. Breakfast is ready if you want some." Link decided to not address the fact that Rhett had locked the office door, he had never known that man to lock a door in his life, he was forever leaving doors open behind him.

"Yeah, I'd love some. Thanks."

"No problem." Link put two pancakes on the plate with a small pad of butter on top, and put four slices of bacon next to it. "Here you go." He handed Rhett the plate and pushed the bottle of maple syrup towards him.

Rhett chuckled at the bottle of syrup, "You wanna know something funny? I'm actually allergic to maple syrup, well my skin is anyways." He drizzled the top of his pancakes with the syrup.

Link quirked an eyebrow, "Do I even wanna know how you know that?" He chuckled.

"We were filming a segment for Good Mythical Morning where we get this gross stuff dumped on us, I lost the round and got maple syrup poured on me, and a few minutes later my skin started to get red and itchy." Rhett took a bite of his pancakes.

"So what other kind of things do you guys do on the show?"

Rhett thought for a moment, "We do a lot of taste tests, some sketches, some songs, and a lot of games. Our crew likes to torment us during some of the taste tests, they'll give us squid ink gushers and pieces of pork blood, pig anus soup-" He stopped short in his sentence and burst out laughing, "When we ate the pig anus soup, you called it 'painus' and I thought you said 'penis'. It was hilarious, you got so flustered."

Link giggled, refusing to make the very obvious jokes that first came to his mind. "What was your favorite episode to film?"

"Oh gosh, that's a hard one. We've had so many great episodes, not counting the ones where we get to eat really delicious food, I'd have to say my favorite at the moment is the Brosectomy."

"Wait, the what?" Link sat down at the island with his food.

"We both got vasectomies at the same time, in the same room. I got mine done first, and you got really dizzy and nauseous after seeing what was happening so the doctor gave you demerol before your surgery. It made you so goofy, it was pretty funny." Rhett couldn't help but smile remembering the impromptu song that Link had sung during his surgery, "During my surgery the doctor told you to stroke my hair to help calm me, but I misunderstood and started stroking your hair instead, surprisingly it made it a bit easier. When it was your turn, I made the unfortunate mistake of saying 'I'm here to be stroked', boy the Mythical Beasts had a field day with that one," He chuckled, "But it was a good episode, and a sort of bonding moment for the both of us. We had gone through school together, we got married at the same time, started families within a couple years of each other, and then we had that procedure together, it was like another milestone in our lives where we made big decisions together."

Link leaned forward, resting his hand on his chin, "Sounds like we're pretty close."

"Yeah, I mean you're my best friend, always have been. You're really the only constant in my life, probably more so than my family, you've been there for nearly every part of my life, both the good and the bad." Rhett felt a lump gather in his throat, "I'm just worried about the other you, you've changed lately.."

"How so?"

"Your wife Christy, you haven't touched her in months, you started dyeing your hair to cover the greys, and stopped going to Christy's gym and started going to another one apparently. My wife Jessie is your wife's best friend, they both think you're cheating on her. I don't." Rhett shook his head, "I know you'd never do that, but..I know that something isn't right, I was on my way to get to the bottom of it when I came to your reality."

"It's probably some mid-life crisis, Rhett." Link sighed and shook his head, "I mean, did I talk to you about any of it, at all?"

"No, not a word, which isn't like you, Link. I didn't even notice really until Jessie said something, but then again I'm not the most observant of people. I always kinda figured that if there was something going on you'd tell me first, you always have before. So it must be something pretty serious." Rhett sighed and finished his breakfast.

"Don't worry Rhett, it'll be okay." Link gave a smile to the blond and took their plates, and put them into the dishwasher.

There was a knock at the door.

Rhett froze, "Are we expecting anyone?" He looked to Link almost in a panic, it was one thing pretending to be a couple for a video, it was a whole other matter to pretend in front of a close friend, no doubt they'd notice a change in them.

Link groaned, "Dammit, I completely forgot. Me and James are going mountain biking today." He sighed, "Sorry about that, Rhett. Do you want me to cancel?"

Rhett felt his stomach twist with jealousy, in his own reality Link went mountain biking with their friend Mike quite often, and not once was Rhett invited, and he couldn't lie, it hurt him. "Yes." He whispered, clenching his fist below the kitchen island so Link couldn't see.

Link looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, but did as he was bid and answered the door, telling James that he'd have to reschedule. 

"It's okay, I'll see you guys soon." James smiled and hugged Link, almost too long. "See ya, Rhett." He waved to Rhett.

Rhett forced a smile and waved back half heartedly.

Link was grateful for the hug, it had been days since he had been touched, he craved an intimacy that Rhett could not give. "I'll see you later, man. Drive safe, ok?" He closed the door after him.

Link turned around and yelped in surprise when he saw Rhett standing merely inches away from him. "Jesus, bo, you scared the hell out of me." He chuckled, clutching his chest.

"Who was that guy?" Rhett asked bitterly.

"He's a friend of ours, you met him during pilates."

"Funny. He seems like he's more of _your_ friend than _mine_." Rhett crossed his arms over his chest.

Link sighed, "Yeah, about that.." He stepped past Rhett into the kitchen, "A few days ago, he sent me a text saying he liked me..I didn't get a chance to tell my Rhett about it."

"But you're married!" Rhett said in shock, his eyes wide.

Link scoffed, "It's not like I like him back, Rhett. And why would it matter to you anyways?" He said bitterly, it wasn't as if this was his Rhett anyways.

Rhett froze and frantically searched for a good answer, for an explanation of the emotions he felt.

Link sighed and shook his head, "Let me ask you something, Rhett."

"What?" Rhett looked away.

"Do you ever get jealous around me?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, are there friends that only I see, are there ever times where I go out and don't invite you, and it makes you jealous?"

Rhett scoffed, "No."

"Liar." Link stepped toward Rhett, "It's okay to admit, Rhett. I mean I'd kinda be shocked if you didn't. We've spent so many years together, it makes sense that you'd feel upset for being left out."

Rhett felt his stomach twist again, "It just hurts sometimes, I know you have your own friends besides me, but it still hurts."

"You're afraid of losing your position as number one with me, aren't you?" Link dropped his defensive demeanor.

Rhett grinded his teeth, "Yes. There's so much you want to do that I can't because of my back flare ups, and I'm just kinda waiting to be pushed aside, waiting for the novelty to wear off for you."

Link smiled sadly, "It's been thirty four years, Rhett, if the novelty was gonna wear off, it would have by now. You're still my best friend."

Rhett felt a wave of calm washing over him, it felt good to be validated. "I never would have told my Link this.."

"Why's that?" 

"I don't know, I just..it's hard for me to talk about how I feel sometimes, especially when it comes to you. I don't want your feelings to get hurt. I don't want you to give up what makes you happy just because I get insecure." Rhett sighed and ran a hand through his hair. 

"Well maybe you should learn, Rhett. I mean, you and I talk about everything, surely I want to hear about what you're really feeling, I love you." Link shrugged.

Rhett felt a lump gather in his throat, he quickly swallowed it down and turned away from Link, sighing softly. 

Link patted Rhett's shoulder, "Hey, how about this, how about you and I go mountain biking, instead?"

Rhett turned with a smile, "Yeah?"

"Yep! Get dressed, my friend, we're going on an adventure!"

"Okay, Bilbo Baggins." Rhett teased and went into the bedroom to get on socks, shoes, and a pair of cargo shorts. 

Link waited outside the bedroom for Rhett to finish dressing and stepped inside, putting on a pair of biking shorts and some socks. He left the bedroom after grabbing his camera and went to the door that led to the garage, and walked through. He turned on the lights and walked over to the line of shoes by the door and slid into his work out shoes. He grabbed both of their helmets off of one of the shelves in the garage and called for Rhett. 

Rhett followed Link's voice to the garage and stepped in, "Yeah?"

"Hold these." Link handed the helmets to Rhett, he pushed the garage door button and took both of the bikes off their hooks. He walked Rhett's over to him and took his helmet. He hung his helmet on one of the handlebars and walked his bike out of the garage to the car.

Rhett followed suit and put his bike onto the bike rack after Link's and got into the passenger side with his helmet. He couldn't deny the excitement he felt, he had only been mountain biking with Link once and that was because Link was worried Rhett was feeling left out. 

"Rhett, calm down, you're glowing." Link teased with a chuckle as he backed out of the driveway.

"Sorry. It's just been a long time since you and I went out by ourselves to do something like this, in my world at least. It makes me feel like we're kids again, exploring the woods and floating down the Cape Fear river..I miss those days, nothing was complicated, we had no wives or children to worry about, it was just us." He said softly, that all too familiar lump rising in his throat as his nose and eyes began to sting, tears threatening to fall. He'd give anything to go back and relive it all.

Link smiled sadly, "I miss those days too." He chuckled, "Remember the time we made homemade wine and hid it in that hole in your bathroom wall?"

"Oh _god_ , yes. Strawberry banana wine. That stuff was awful!" Rhett laughed, "We thought we had actually achieved something! Oh, oh! Remember that day I had that big basketball game and we decided to go explore those little islands in the river and the water was freezing?"

Link guffawed, "Yes! God, we were so _stupid_." 

"You really scared me that day, though. When you stepped into the water and disappeared, I thought for sure you were gonna drown. Only after jumping in after you did I realize the water was fricken' _frigid_." Rhett shivered, remembering how cold the water had been, it instantly took their breath and burned their muscles as they struggled to fight the current to get across to the little islands. "But hey, even though I lost, it actually helped my basketball game that night, like those athletes who always take ice baths before a big event. I scored-"

"Nineteen baskets. I remember seeing the last one you scored, it was an amazing shot." 

"Wait, how? You weren't there, you were at your mom's house." Rhett looked to Link with furrowed eyebrows.

Link felt heat creep up his neck, "No. After I dropped you off at your house, I went to the school and parked in the back, went inside and waited beside the bleachers. I watched your game."

Rhett's heart thumped, "Why didn't you ever tell me?" That day had been hurtful to him, it had been the state playoffs game, and his best friend said he couldn't be there, all he wanted was for his best friend to see him play, and after all that time he learned Link had watched every moment of it.

"Because I was embarrassed. I went there just to see you, there was this..this fire in your eyes when you played, it made my heart race every time."

Rhett remained quiet, his cheeks turning pink, "Oh."

"Rhett?" Link asked gently.

"Yeah?"

"I never asked you before but..why did you give up your basketball scholarship? I mean, you were an amazing basketball player, your whole future was laid out for you. A full ride, that's not something everyone gets, your dad was so excited, but you gave it up so easily. Why?"

Rhett bit the inside of his cheek and sighed, " 'Cause that meant not going to school with you, and I wasn't ready to be apart from you. Y ou were my best friend, you were like an extension of who I was, being separated from you for four years would've felt like losing an arm."

Link smiled, tears welling up in his eyes. "It was hard enough being without you when you went to Slovakia. Every day I'd step into the dorm expecting to see you, but you weren't there. Thank god that was only for a month, I can't imagine four years of that."

Rhett shook his head, "Me either, bo."

 


	6. Scrapes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this fic is based on a poem by Maya Angelou. <3 (You should definitely read it!)
> 
> Also, in Chapter 3 of this fic mentions an unfortunate accident while trying to bake bread, which is a little nod to a one-shot I did of Rhett and Link, you can read it if you want to see how this universe's Rhett and Link were like together before AU Rhett popped up. <3  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/12226257

Rhett leaned back in his seat and gazed out his window, watching the beautiful trees pass by, a sudden thought occurred to him and he snorted before bursting out into laughter.

Link looked over at him, "What's so funny?" 

"I just remembered something. God, I haven't thought about that in years." Rhett clutched his chest as he laughed, "Remember our first double date when my parents drove all of us to the movie theater?"

Link groaned, "Oh gosh. Yeah.." He cringed, "That day I made the perfect icebreaker, 'It sure will be nice when they make this road four lanes'. Needless to say she didn't call me after that." He chuckled. 

Rhett grinned over at him, "I was trying so hard to get you to shut up, guess our psychic link wasn't working that day."

"Can you blame me? I was nervous as hell, Rhett, getting all sandwiched beside one of the prettiest girls in school, not to mention just feet away from  _your parents._ " He shivered at the memory.

"Wait, you thought she was pretty?" Rhett quirked an eyebrow, "I thought you were gay?"

Link snickered, "Yes, I am, but that doesn't mean the beauty of the opposite sex eludes me. I find many women beautiful, I just don't feel the same.." He cleared his throat, " _Physical feelings_ that I do with men."

"Ah." Rhett looked forward, nervously scratching at his arm, "In your world am I gay?"

"No, you're bi."

Rhett bit his lower lip, "You were my first..?" The thought made his stomach twist.

Link gripped the steering wheel tighter, "No. Her name was Katie. She was some girl you met at one of the frat parties."

"But wait, I thought you said _we_ got together our freshman year?"

"No, there was that night when we were camping but we didn't do anything more than kiss. You kinda went on a bender after that, you went to a lot of parties without me and I'd have to bring you back to the dorm because you were too drunk, it really hurt to see you struggling like that. One night about a couple weeks later you invited me to one of the parties, and there was a girl you were meeting there. She couldn't keep her hands off of you even though I was sitting right next to you, she got into your lap and started kissing you, and then you looked at me. We made eye contact for like a solid minute, she noticed and took you to one of the rooms upstairs. About an hour later you both came down the stairs, clothes all messed up.." Link shook his head, "I took you home, and the entire walk back to the dorm you couldn't look at me, it wasn't until a couple days later that you could actually look me in the eye."

Rhett sighed, "I remember that night."

Link paused, "That happened in your world too?"

"For the most part, yeah. College life was getting hectic, and I was going through a lot, so I'd go to a lot of those parties. I invited you to that frat party where I was meeting Katie, and you brought this girl with you. We were both on the couch kissing them and we made eye contact. She took me up to one of the rooms and we slept together, though it took a while cause I was so nervous. When I came downstairs you were like a different person, you were really upset with me about something and wouldn't talk to me the whole walk home." Rhett bit at his thumbnail.

"Oh." Link whispered, their worlds were so different, all because of one little decision that had been made, and yet at the same time it seemed things were the same. 

"So how did you and I.." Rhett motioned with his hands, pushing his palms together, "finally get together?"

Link snorted, "You don't need the hand motions, Rhett, I know what you mean." He thought for a moment, "Well, a week after that frat party you came out of the shower into the dorm and you looked at me, I could see you were trying to say something but no words came out, the next thing I knew you were kissing me and we ended up sleeping together. Over the next few months we had this cycle, we would sleep together, then we would be distant for a couple days, and then we'd sleep together again, and so on. We had never been with men before, so it was all new territory, we both thought it was just a phase, but there were very definite feelings that wouldn't go away, even when we tried to make them. I realized what I felt and I had to make peace with myself, come to the conclusion that what I felt was normal despite what our church always told us, and finally I came to you about it. I told you that I didn't want to keep repeating that cycle, that it wasn't just physical for me, and that I wanted to be with you. You broke down.." Link ran a hand through his hair, "You collapsed to your knees and hugged me and told me you felt the same way but you were scared, scared of ruining our friendship, scared of what your parents would think, but mostly just scared because it was the first time you had ever felt that way. That night was the first time we ever made love, it was so gentle and passionate, we weren't afraid of our feelings anymore. We dated in secret for a year because we were worried of what our friends would think, but come to find out they knew from the get go, we weren't exactly as subtle as we thought we were. After we came out, things really changed for us, our friends were so supportive and it gave us the courage to come out to our parents, we've been together ever since." Link looked over at Rhett and chuckled, "Sorry, that was a bit long-winded.."

Rhett shook his head, "It's ok. I needed to know." He looked out the window, tapping his fingers against the door. 

"Are you thinking about her again?" Link asked, having noticed Rhett's agitation.

"Hm? Who?" Rhett looked at Link.

"Jessie."

"Oh. I guess a little. Mostly just wondering what's going on in my world.."

"You said you two met when you were in college?"

"Yeah. She was still in high school so I waited until she graduated to date her. We went to separate colleges so for a long time it was a long distance relationship, we'd always write to each other and send gifts. When I went to Slovakia, I made her a little stuffed doll that looked like me so she could hold it when she was falling asleep, so that way I'd be with her."

A lump gathered in Link's throat, "You did that for me too."

"I did?" 

Link smiled sadly, "Yeah, I still have it, it's in the same box as the letters you wrote me while you were away, and the love notes you'd leave on my nightstand."

Rhett felt his hands tremble a little.

"It's funny, people always say that after the first two years of marriage it takes hard work to keep the marriage together, that it takes work to keep things fun and interesting. It was never like that with us, every single day was a new adventure, every single day you'd find new ways to show your love to me and make me feel cared for. Hell, we've only ever had one fight, and that was about my dad, you wanted him to apologize for some of the things he had said to me, and I just wanted to forget the whole thing, you got angry with me because you knew that I was hurting and it wasn't fair that I was being punished for being myself. But actual fights? Never happened with us. Whenever we had an issue, we would take some time to ourselves, think about what we were feeling and what we wanted to say, and we'd come back and just talk. We'd always find some common ground."

Rhett didn't find that hard to believe at all, in his nearly life long friendship with Link he could think of only two times they had fought and that was when they were kids, as they grew together as best friends, they had discovered the best way to handle any tension between them and they faced it head on and always came out stronger in the end. He felt a pang of envy in the pit of his stomach, he didn't even have that good a relationship with his wife, she was notorious for being passive aggressive, and would flat out ignore him when he tried to make things right, and it would usually end up with him storming off. "I wish my wife thought that way," Rhett sighed, "She just gets so mad at me sometimes, over the smallest of things. I didn't sort the socks, I didn't put the dishes in the dishwasher, I forgot to buy milk, it just never stops with her. It's like I can't do anything right for her. I try my hardest, but it's never enough."

Link offered Rhett a sad smile, "I'm sorry Rhett, that sounds awful.."

"We got married too young I think, we didn't even live together before we got married. She has OCD about cleanliness and I'm not the cleanest person in the world, that's a recipe for disaster right there. We were together only a short while when we got married, we didn't know each other as well as we should have, and with age we've changed as people, and it's like the more I look at it, the more I realize we don't fit the way we used to." Rhett felt a lump gather in his throat, "And it hurts, because I want to keep trying, I don't like giving up, and the kids..I don't want them to come from a broken home."

Link nodded, "I understand." He stayed quiet for a moment, then cleared his throat, "Does she make you happy though?"

"Sometimes. Honestly, my happiness more so comes from my children and-" Rhett swallowed, "Well, you. I mean, you're always there for me, always backing me up, and even when we don't agree we handle our arguments like mature adults." He ran a hand through his hair, "I'm just so sick of the fighting, and the going to bed _wanting_."

"What _do_ you want, Rhett?"

Rhett remained quiet as he thought to himself, it was a hard question to ask, 'what do you want?'. He wanted many things, he wanted his children to grow up happy and loved, he wanted to see the world, he wanted to be loved completely even for his faults, he wanted a life without regrets; and it seemed to Rhett that his list of regrets was steadily growing. "I don't know." He sighed.

 

Link parked the car and looked over at Rhett, he patted his shoulder, "It'll work out, you just have to realize what you want and let yourself have it. You only get the one life, don't waste it." He smiled, "Now, put on a smile, we're here."

Rhett smiled, "Thanks, buddyroll." He took his helmet and opened the car door, he put his helmet on and fastened it before getting his bike off the bike rack, he couldn't deny the excitement he felt.

Link got out of the car and put on his helmet, he grabbed his bike and put a gopro camera on the front of his bike, and handed the second one to Rhett. "Might as well get some good footage of our ride while we're at it." He opened the back door of the car and grabbed his little backpack, checked to make sure he had two bottles of water, a small first aid kit and ibuprofen packed inside before putting it on.

Rhett put the camera on the front of his bike and looked over at Link with a grin, he felt like a kid again, racing his bike with Link down the dirt roads of their hometown. 

Link lead Rhett to one of the trails, going for the intermediate level one, he was sure they could handle it. He walked beside Rhett as they walked their bikes up the steep incline, "This is my least favorite part." Link groaned. "This other place James took me to at least had a lift to take you up the mountain, but I need the exercise anyways. How's your back feeling? I've got some ibuprofen in my backpack in case you need it."

"Good so far." Rhett smiled, Link truly thought of everything, "I'm just glad you're wearing a backpack and not a fanny pack." He snickered.

Link rolled his eyes, "Yeah yeah, laugh it up." He chuckled, truth was he had a fanny pack in the car and he would've worn it if they hadn't packed water bottles.

The two struggled up the mountain's slope with their bikes, ankles and calves getting scratched by various plants. Finally, they reached the top where their biking would begin, Rhett's heart hammered nervously against his rib cage.

"You ready?" Link grinned as he threw his leg over his bike.

"I was born ready." Rhett said coolly, but inside he was a bundle of nerves. 

"Just follow me, you'll be fine." Link clapped his hand on Rhett's shoulder and pushed off the ground, riding his bike down the twisting trail.

Rhett mounted his bike and followed after the brunette, his adrenaline flowing as they both surged down the trail. He was surprised at how easy it was, and how frightening at the same time, some of the turns were very sharp. They crossed a small bridge slowly, careful not to fall over into the ditch, and continued on the winding path. The wind whipped at Rhett's clothes, cooling down his sweat kissed skin, he looked up at the sunlight dancing through the gaps between the leaves and found himself smiling as nostalgia kicked in.

They fought the resistance of an uphill climb and Link stopped his bike at the top. He took off his back pack and grabbed his water bottle, he took three big gulps from it and gasped in relief when the water wet his dried throat. 

Rhett struggled up the hill and stopped his bike beside Link's. "Can you grab me some ibuprofen?"

"Oh, is your back hurting you already?" Link's eyebrows furrowed with worry.

"I feel a little twinge, but I wanna take it before it gets bad." Rhett took two tablets from Link and swallowed them, washing them down with his water, thankful for it's cool temperature. He tilted it upside down and wet his face, the water trickling down Rhett's chest, his chest hair showing through his top.

Link couldn't help but watch as beads of water slid down Rhett's throat, his nipples showing through the wet fabric, he bit his lower lip.

Rhett noticed Link watching him and raised an eyebrow, looking down at his t shirt, "Oh. Woops." He chuckled and capped his water bottle before tossing it over to Link.

Link blushed and put everything away and put his backpack back on, "Alright, that was the easy part, we're about half way done, this is the tricky area apparently." He pointed to the high sloped sharp turns. "Let's see if you can keep up, McLaughlin." He smirked and pushed forward, gliding down the hill.

Rhett chuckled, shook his head and followed after Link. The slope was deep, sending their bikes flying down the trail, Rhett felt a surge of adrenaline when he felt his bike shiver under the abuse of his increased speed. He leaned into the turns and took a deep breath as they got closer and closer to the high sloped turns.

Link came to the first turn, taking it easy, but as the second one came he decided to let his inhibitions go and his bike slid up the wall of the turn, but as his bike landed back on the trail he hit a tree root, causing his bike to shake. He fought against it, but lost control, sending him flying off of his bike. His body slid across the trail, rocks digging into his side as he slid.

"Link!" Rhett hit his brakes, hopped off and let his bike fall to it's side, he rushed over to the brunette and knelt down, "Are you ok?"

Link hissed in pain, "Yeah.." He lifted his tshirt to reveal his left side, "How's it look?"

Rhett looked down at Link's side, it was covered in deep scrapes that were caked in dirt and blood. "Don't look, I don't want you fainting on me." Link tried to get up, but Rhett pressed his shoulder down, "Stay still, I've gotta clean this." He took off Link's backpack, took out the first aid kit and his bottle of water. He poured water onto the gouges to clear it of the dirt and debris as best as he could. He took out some alcohol pads and gently cleaned the wound, Link hissed every time the alcohol touched his open skin. 

"Ahh! Jesus Rhett! Just be gentle!" 

"I am, don't be such a baby, I'm nearly done." Rhett took a tube of neosporin and smeared some of the cream onto his wounds before putting bandages on the deeper of the scrapes. "Well, Mister Neal, I have good news, you're gonna live." He teased and rested his hand on Link's shoulder, "You sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, but god I'm gonna be wearing bruises tomorrow." Link cradled his sore elbow that he had fallen on and with Rhett's help stood up. "Jeez, my damn shorts are ripped." He said as he looked down at the holes in the leg of his biking shorts.

Rhett gathered everything back in the pack and slung it over his shoulder. "Wanna head back?"

"Yeah. I'm done for the day." Link leaned down and picked up his glasses, cleaned them off with his t shirt and put them back on. He grabbed his bike and walked beside it, heading back the way they came.

Rhett picked his bike off the ground and followed beside Link, "Well that was fun." He chuckled, "If it makes you feel any better, you took that turn like a champ."

Link chuckled, "Glad we caught that on video at least, the fans love seeing my fails."

"They aren't the only ones." Rhett teased. "We have whole episodes of GMM dedicated to your fails, most of them are car related."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Link pushed his bike up the hill, grunting.

"Like this one time, you were in the car with Christy and the kids, and you had to get gas, you put the car in reverse and weren't paying attention and you nearly backed right into this guy. He blew his horn at you and as he drove off you blew your horn back at him, well he circled back and got out of his car and went to Christy's window and cussed you out." Rhett laughed, "You've got a bad habit of picking fights with big guys. Everyone always assumes that I'm the confrontational one because of my size, but really it's you. The funniest time was when we were all on the beach, this was when your wife was pregnant with your daughter, she was walking back to the hotel and this guy with a football ran into her and knocked her down. You ran over to him and screamed, 'What are you thinking?!", and you stuttered and got all flustered cause you were so mad, it was pretty hilarious, the guy was like a whole head and a half taller than you, he could've whooped your ass easily."

Link laughed alongside Rhett, "I do seem to be the aggressive one of the two."

"More like dumb." Rhett teased, poking Link in the ribs.

Link giggled and smacked his hand away, "Yes, okay, I'm an idiot sometimes, I'll own that, but you're pretty scrappy too!" He said as they made their way down the final slope heading to the car.

"Pfft, when?"

"Uh.." Link paused.

"Exactly. Last time I got into a fight was when John Carson was making fun of you in third grade and I punched him in the stomach." Rhett said proudly. 

"Oh yeah! I remember that!" Link smiled and turned off the cameras on their bikes as they got to the car. He put them into his backpack and propped his bike on the bike stand after Rhett and unlocked the doors. He got into the driver's seat, unhooked his helmet and tossed it and the backpack into the seat behind him, and started the car.

Rhett got into the car and unfastened his helmet, and set it down by his feet. 

Link fiddled with the mirror and the seat, once he got it to the place he liked, he buckled himself in and turned on the radio, Endless Love by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross began to play, he blushed.

"I love this song." Rhett smiled and began to sing along with Lionel, "My love, there's only you in my life, the only thing that's right." 

"My first love, you're every breath that I take, you're every step that I make." Link sang.

"And I-" Rhett began.

"I-" 

"I want to share-"

"All my love with you." They sang together in perfect harmony.

"No one else will do." Rhett crooned.

"And your eyes-"

"Your eyes, your eyes-"

"They tell me how much you care." Their voices drowned out the radio.

"Oh yes, you will always be-" Link began.

"My endless love." They sang together, both of them using hand motions as they got into the song. They lost themselves in the song together, each singing along to their own part. Link looked over at Rhett, love shining in his eyes as Rhett sang, the words truly hitting home for him.

As the song ended, Rhett felt his heart flutter, "Such a great song. I'm glad you introduced me to him when we were kids." He smiled over at Link.

"Well, you can thank my Mama for that, he's her favorite. My favorite song of his will always be our song, er, well, you know what I mean." Link waved his hand.

"You and I have a song?"

"Mhm. Stuck on You." 

Rhett chuckled, "In my world, that's yours and Christy's song, as well as mine and Jessie's. It played at both of our weddings." 

Link looked over at Rhett, could he truly not remember? The first time they had heard that song together was a couple months before their camping trip, they both sat in their dorm room listening to cassettes of Lionel that Link's mom had gifted him for college. When that song came on, there had been this feeling in the air, so thick they could almost touch it, and they shared a look, a look that had lasted far too long and spoke far too many words. It was _their_ song before it was ever anyone else's.

 

 

-

 

Link stepped into the house and groaned as he cracked his back, he tossed the keys onto the table beside the door, and stepped into the kitchen, his stomach growling. "Hey, Rhett, you feel like paninis for lunch?"

"Sure." Rhett kicked his shoes off by the door and stepped into the living room, and sat down on the couch, exhaling in relief as he began to relax. He pulled the lever of the recliner and leaned back a little, taking the remote into his hands. As he looked through youtube, curiosity struck him. He peeked around the corner to make sure Link was still in the kitchen and went to their youtube channel, they had the same amount of subscribers that GMM had. He clicked on the newest vlog entitled 'Cowboy Takes A Fall', he quickly turned down the volume and watched the vlog of their day at the ranch, and couldn't keep himself from bursting out laughing when he saw himself get thrown off his horse. He heard Link coming down the hall and quickly changed the video to an episode of How It's Made and folded his hands over his stomach.

Link stepped into the room with two plates and raised an eyebrow, "What're you laughing at?" 

Rhett pointed to the tv.

Link looked at the tv, "Watching how peanut butter is made, made you laugh?" He eyed Rhett suspiciously but let it go. "Here's your panini." He sat down on the other end of the couch and tucked his feet up, brought his sandwich to his mouth and took a big bite, groaning in pleasure. "Such a great recipe, thank you."

"Hm?" Rhett asked as he bit into his sandwich.

"You made the recipe for this pesto, I could never get it to taste right until you tinkered with it and made a better recipe." Link motioned to his tomato, pesto, spinach and mozzarella cheese panini.

Rhett chuckled and turned his attention back to the tv, watching in fascination as he finished his food, he had always loved How It's Made, how to videos were always his favorites.

Link's phone chirped, he took it from his pocket and checked the text, he groaned, "Damn."

"What?" Rhett looked over at Link.

"You've got two more scenes that need doing for our youtube red series before this season is done."

Rhett felt a sliver of panic, "But I'm used to acting in comedies, not dramas, definitely not romances..how am I gonna pull that off?"

"Well, first you need to watch the show, get a feel for your character, I'm sure you can do it, I mean hey, if you can play a sleeping person and Minnie Pearl, you can play anyone." Link teased with a smile and took the remote from Rhett, changing it to the first episode of their crime drama/romance series.

Rhett blushed, and looked at the tv, nervous about seeing the two of them being intimate on tv, he knew by the MA rating in the top left corner that it would be far more risque than their daily vlogs. He chewed his lip and fidgeted with his wedding ring as the intro began to play, he took a deep breath, _you can do this_.


	7. Gut Punch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for this one! <3

Rhett sat back, his eyes wide as tears streamed down his cheeks, his voice dying in his throat. 

Link looked over at Rhett and gently touched his shoulder, "Rhett?" He whispered. "You ok?"

Rhett cleared his throat and quickly wiped his eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine." He avoided Link's gaze and continued staring at the screen, watching as the scene began to fade to the credits. "That was..amazing." He whispered, a lump gathering in his throat again.

Link smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I mean we've always been a dramatic duo, but this series really tested our acting ability, and I think we did pretty damn well."

"Not just our acting, but the storyline, the music, the characters, it all works incredibly well together. What happens in the second season?" He looked over to Link.

Link chuckled, "I've got the scripts if you want to read them over, but I must warn you, it's a lot more dramatic than the last season, a lot of stuff goes down. So, you think you can handle finishing those two scenes?"

Rhett nodded, "I think so." He had never felt so close to a character before, the character of Detective Wolfe was a mirror image of himself, including the darkest facets of his personality, getting into his mindset couldn't be that hard, he thought.

"Alright, well I'm gonna head to bed a little early, I'm exhausted." Link stood up, "Night Rhett." He smiled and headed to his bedroom, his shoulders dropping the moment the bedroom door closed behind him. He looked at his bed and felt a knot tighten in the pit of his stomach, it had been years since he had slept without Rhett, it felt wrong to be without his touch. He sighed and slumped onto the foot of the bed, hanging his head in his hands, fighting back tears, it hurt to lie and hide what he felt, but he knew there was no use, his Rhett was gone. A frightening thought circled his mind, what if his Rhett never came back? Could he really withstand being so close to the one he loved without his feelings being reciprocated? It would be maddening and heart breaking, to be sure.

Rhett ran a hand through his hair and wiped at his eyes again, Link hadn't been lying when he said the series was a romance, he hadn't felt his heart strings tugged like that since he had watched The Notebook. Flashes of the show began to play in his head, the scenes of their characters tangled in the sheets, stealing kisses and glances, it pushed him to the brink of sobbing all over again. He had to know what happened next. He walked over to Link's bedroom and knocked on the door gently, "Hey Link? Where's those scripts?" He asked.

Link opened the door in just his boxers, his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth, "It's in the office, top right drawer." He said, his words muffled as he brushed his teeth. 

"Oh, okay, thanks." Rhett stood there for a moment, his eyes wandering to examine Link's body, he took a deep breath and forced himself to turn around, his mind buzzing. When he stepped into the office, away from Link's gaze, he slapped his forehead, "Jesus, Rhett, get a grip." He whispered to himself. _Maybe my mind and the other Rhett's are beginning to meld_ , Rhett thought to himself, mentally beating himself down until all thought of Link's near nude body left his mind's eye. 

Rhett opened the top right drawer of the computer desk and fished out the scripts for the second season of the show and sat down on his air mattress. He drew his shirt over his head and cast it aside, laid back and began to read the scripts, excitedly flipping the pages, the words taking shape in his mind, playing out the scenes perfectly. He found himself reading until the early hours of the morning until finally passing out from exhaustion.

 

-

 

"Rhett?" Link knocked on the office door, not bothering to try the door knob again, knowing it would most likely be locked once more.

"Mm?" Rhett asked sleepily, the scripts strewn over the bed, the last one still resting on his chest.

"Time to get up, you've gotta be at the studio in two hours." 

Rhett sat up quickly, all remnants of sleep pushed directly from his mind. Unsteadily he got off of the mattress and left the room, nearly bumping into Link. "Oh sorry!" He apologized and ran to the bedroom to get some new clothes on.

Link watched the topless blond disappear into his room and felt his heart ache, he sighed and went down the hall and turned into the kitchen. "Do you want breakfast?" He called.

"Yes, thank you!" Rhett called back as he hopped into the shower and did his daily cleaning routine. After he was freshly out of the shower and dressed, he styled his hair and looked at himself in the mirror, chest rising and falling quickly as anxiety began to swirl around his mind, there was a lot riding on his performance today, he had to get his head in the game.

Rhett sauntered into the kitchen, "What's for breakfast?" He asked, leaning forward with his elbows on the kitchen island, watching as Link prepared plates for them.

"I made some fruit salad, scrambled eggs with cheese, and some bacon. Sorry it wasn't anything astounding, I woke up late." Link had fallen asleep late, tearfully going through all of the thousands of pictures and videos he had of them on his phone, until finally falling asleep to Rhett's soothing voice in one of the videos; it was better than nothing.

"It's okay, you know I'll eat anything." Rhett said with a smile and took the plate from Link, devouring his food as if he were some starving cave man, growing up with his brother he had discovered if he didn't eat quickly his plate would be picked at until there was nothing left, years later and he still couldn't shake that habit.

Link sat down at the island across from Rhett and quietly began to eat his food, avoiding Rhett's gaze.

"So, I finished the scripts last night." Rhett began.

Link raised his eyebrows in question.

"It's pretty damn good, I'm excited. What scenes do I need to reshoot?"

"The one where Wolfe is on the phone with Snow, telling him he's hunting down the Marelli brothers, right before he gets kidnapped. And then the scene where Wolfe is watching Snow from afar and thinks he's been killed." 

Rhett nodded, finishing his breakfast. After Link finished his breakfast, Rhett took their plates to the dishwasher and put them in. He looked over at Link, noticing the change in the brunette's posture, "Are you ok?" 

Link sighed, "It's just hard-" His voice cracked as tears began to stream down his cheeks, "I don't know how much longer I can handle this."

Rhett rushed to his side, "What-"

Link turned to look at Rhett, "Please remember.." He whispered and cupped Rhett's face, leaning in to press his trembling lips against his.  

Rhett froze in his place, his cheeks turning bright pink as Link kissed him, as the brunette pulled away, Rhett's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Link.."

Link searched Rhett's eyes desperately, looking for that spark he always saw, but they were blank, it hadn't worked. He choked back a sob and shook his head, "I'm sorry, I just thought if I-" He sniffled, "If I kissed you maybe you'd remember how you felt about me or something..it didn't work." He sighed and hung his head.

Rhett felt his heart break, it was never easy seeing his best friend in pain. "I'm sorry, Link. I'm sorry I can't be him.." He rubbed Link's shoulder and drew him into a hug, the brunette broke down sobbing against his chest, clinging to him in desperation. Rhett sighed and fought back tears, what cruel joke was this? When would he finally be able to go back home and tuck away this childish fantasy of his best friend, and move on with his life? He wondered to himself, if he ever got to go back home, would he ever tell Link what had happened to him, or would it be yet another secret he kept from seeing the light of day?

Link pulled away from Rhett and wiped his eyes under his glasses, "Thank you. I'm sorry.." He sniffled and grabbed a napkin and blew his nose.

"Don't be. It's okay, I..I understand. We just gotta take this whole experience one day at a time, ya know?" Rhett leaned his back against the kitchen island, his arms crossed.

Link nodded and wiped the fog off of his glasses that had gathered when he had been crying and looked up at him with a sad smile. "Ready to go?"

Rhett nodded and walked over to the front door and slid on his shoes. "Want me to drive?"

"Sure." Link stepped into his shoes and grabbed one of their cameras, "I'm gonna shoot a little behind the scenes stuff today for our vlog, is that okay?"

Rhett took the keys off the table, "Yeah, that's fine." He left the house and after Link exited, locked the door behind them. He stepped over to the car and unlocked it, hopping inside. After they were both buckled in, Rhett turned the car on and backed out of the driveway. 

Link hooked up his phone to the radio and scrolled through his itunes playlists until he found one that made him smile, it was titled 'Childhood'. "Hey Rhett?"

"Mm?"

"Ready for a blast from the past?" 

Rhett chuckled and smiled, "Sure."

Link pressed play and set down his phone, grinning from ear to ear as Tone Loc's 'Funky Cold Medina' began to play.

Rhett looked to him with wide eyes, "Oh my god, I haven't heard that song in so long! Tone Loc! He was the best." He laughed and began to sing along with the song, instantly transported in his mind to the years of their youth and the amazing times they had had.

Their entire car ride to the studio was filled with singing(sometimes off key) to the songs of their childhood, both were wrapped up in a safe bubble of nostalgia where the worries of the day couldn't reach them, music had always been their escape.

 

-

 

Rhett parked the car in the studio's parking lot, the moment he turned off the car, the music stopped and the anxiety he had felt earlier began to bubble up once more. "I'm kinda nervous, what if they notice somethin's up?"

"It'll be fine, Rhett. I'm here." Link reassured him and turned on the camera, "Behind the sceeenes! Ya'll have asked us time and time again to give you some good behind the scenes footage of our series Lies and Lovers, well you're in luck! Today Rhett's gonna be reshooting some scenes." He turned the camera to Rhett, "There's my handsome man. You excited?"

Rhett blushed nervously, "And nervous!" He chuckled and got out of the car.

Link followed and walked beside Rhett, getting shots of the studio where they'd be filming. He turned off the camera and walked with Rhett into the studio. "Just breathe." He reminded him. 

"Rhett! Link!" A woman smiled when they came into the studio, she looped her arm around Rhett's, "Everything's set up, we just need to get you in makeup." 

Rhett looked at Link in panic.

'Grace.' Link mouthed the name to him.

"Okay, Grace." Rhett said with a smile. 

Grace looked over at Link, noticed his camera and smiled, "Make sure you get me from my good side."

Link chuckled, "All of your sides are good, Grace."

Grace lead the two to the makeup room and motioned for Rhett to take a seat. After Rhett sat down, she took a foundation and concealer palette and a beauty blender and began dabbing the makeup onto his skin, covering up all the little inconsistencies in color of his natural skin. She took a small comb and sprayed it with temporary hair color and began to comb it through his hair, beard, and eyebrows, darkening it's tone a couple shades while Link recorded the process. 

"This is Grace, everyone, she's our resident beautifying expert." Link chuckled.

Grace smiled to the camera and waved. "Okay, we're done for now, go get in your costume, and I'll meet you on set after you finish your first scene."

Rhett nodded, "Thanks Grace." He looked at himself in the mirror, admiring how good he looked with hair that was of a deeper shade. "Damn, remind me to hire you as a personal assistant, I want to look this good every day." He laughed.

Grace left the room to give them privacy while Rhett got dressed.

Rhett stepped over to the clothes rack and grabbed the bag that read 'Rhett M. Lies & Lovers, costume 1'. "Is this it?"

Link nodded and shut off his camera. "Yep. I'll be outside, ok?"

"Ok." Rhett unzipped the bag and smiled at the classic detective costume and laid it on the chair. He quickly got undressed and pulled on the black pants, and white button up shirt, he buttoned it up and put on the black tie, checking himself out in the mirror as he tied it around his neck. He put on the black shoes, the tan trench coat and tan fedora and smiled at himself in the mirror, "Not too shabby." He put his clothes in the bag and hung it up before leaving the room. He smiled when he saw Link outside poised with his camera. "Well? How do I look?" He did a spin and began tap dancing. 

Link laughed, "Handsome. Now, go solve me some crimes, Mister Detective." He teased and turned off the camera. "Okay, we're going to set four. It's right over there." Link pointed to the set just ahead of them.

Rhett felt an almost childish glee, it looked like something straight out of L.A. Noir with it's dim lights, flashing neon signs and old style car parked near an old telephone booth. He had always loved old detective movies, and now he had the chance to actually be in one. He stepped onto the set and their director smiled, "There you are." He shook Rhett's hand and looked over at Link, "I've got some bad news, guys, nothing too bad, but we're gonna have to reshoot the last scene."

Rhett raised an eyebrow, "I know, that's one of the scenes I have to reshoot."

"No, I mean the entire part needs to be redone, even Link's part, the lighting didn't come out the right way. Didn't Grace tell you?"

Link shook his head, "No, she didn't. I'll go get in costume." He turned on his camera and took a view of the set and turned it to face him, "Well it looks like one of my scenes has to be reshot as well, so you'll get to see the both of us in action." He smiled and handed the camera to one of their PAs. "Do you mind filming for me? It's for our behind the scenes." The PA smiled and said no problem.

Link jogged back to the make up room, "Grace?" He asked and stepped into the room, "Hey, so apparently one of my shots has to be redone. Time to make me pretty." He teased.

Grace gasped, "Oh damn, I'm so sorry Link, I was supposed to tell you. I swear my mind is going." She laughed and got him into the chair and began to do his makeup, covering up his 5 o'clock shadow and circles under his eyes. She slicked back his hair with hair gel and patted his shoulder, "Alright, you're done! Your costume is next to Rhett's." She said and left the room.

Link undressed and grabbed the bag labeled 'Link N. Lies & Lovers costume 4.', he took the clothes out of it which consisted of a grey fedora and matching suit and black shoes. He quickly got dressed and put his clothes away, walking out of the room with a small bounce in his step, at least in their series the two could be together, even if it was just pretend. 

Rhett guffawed when he saw Link in his outfit, "You look great!" He smiled and clapped him on the shoulder. "Very dashing." He elbowed him a little.

Link blushed and handed him the script from the director, "You'll do great." He whispered and stepped out of frame so Rhett could do his scene.

Rhett had studied the lines last night, after a brief look at the script he remembered his lines and handed the director back the script and stepped over to his mark, inhaled deeply through his nose to steady his nerves and waited for the call of 'action', Link's words of 'you'll do great' echoing in his mind.

"Alright, cue the rain." The director called, and one of the technicians turned on the hose above the set, sending down a light rain. "Action!" He called.

Rhett jogged over to the pay phone and stepped inside, he fished around in his pocket for a nickel and popped it into the payphone, he pressed the phone to his ear and frantically dialed the operator. "Murray Hill, five-four-three-seven, please." He told the operator and anxiously tapped his fingers against the glass of the payphone as he waited to be 'connected'.

Rhett heard Link's voice over a recording, "Yeah?"

"Snow, I found them!"

"Found who? It's three in the morning. What are you doing up?" Link's voice sounded sleepy.

"The Marelli brothers, I found their hideout."

"What? You said you'd wait for me to come along! You can't be going after them by yourself."

Rhett sighed and pressed his head against the glass, "They threatened me, Snow, they said if we came after them, they'd kill you. I have to stop them. I won't let you get hurt."

"John, please, where are you? Wait for me, I'm coming to you!"

Rhett drew from his experiences of the past few days and tears began to flow freely, "I won't let them hurt you, Elias. I-I..love you. Don't come looking for me, I'm gonna put an end to this." He hung up the phone and wiped at his eyes and stepped out of the phone booth to his mark.

"There you are, beatnick." He heard a gruff voice say and from the shadows stepped the Marelli brothers. 

Rhett bristled, "You're done, you thugs, I've uncovered your entire operation." He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and popped one in his mouth, shielding it from the rain as he flicked his lighter and lit the cigarette. He drew the smoke in and fought against the burning sensation and blew a smoke ring, "You two think you're nickel slick having two judges in your pockets, but guess what? They've turned tail. No one's protecting you now." 

The shorter of the Marelli brothers chuckled and stepped forward, cracking his knuckles, "You aren't gonna do a damn thing about it, Wolfe. We've got your little sweetheart Snow cornered, he steps foot out of that dingy little apartment of his and he's dead, unless you back off."

Rhett's smile fell, he growled, his cigarette trembling in his hand, "Liar!"

"If I were lying, how would I know he has blue curtains, his landlady has three cats and lives right across from him? She's a sweet lady, bit dense, but sweet, invited us in for coffee a couple days ago. We got a good look at your man's place from there, wonder when someone's gonna notice the stink coming from her apartment."

Rhett's blood ran cold, he drew a long drag off his cigarette and threw it to the ground, "This ends. Now." He growled and ran at them, balling up his fists.

"Cut!" The director called. The rain stopped and the men playing the Marelli brothers chuckled, telling each other great job.

Rhett froze, it had all felt so real, he had forgotten about the cameras pointed at him, forgot that this whole thing was an act. He took a deep breath and looked to Link, his heart pounding in his ears.

Link walked over to him, "That..that was amazing, Rhett. That's the best I've ever seen from you. Wow." He chuckled and noticed the flushed look on Rhett's face, "Whoa, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I just..that got a little real for a minute there." Rhett chuckled and scratched at his beard. 

Link looked at him with concern, "Rhett, if you need to take a break-"

"It's okay, I'm fine, just..not used to acting in a drama, I really had to dredge up some raw emotions to cry that easily." Rhett said as he followed beside Link to the next set. "There was a whole episode of GMM where we tried to get ourselves to cry, finally after practically shoving onions into my eyes I got a tear." He whispered to Link.

Link gave his upper arm a gentle squeeze. "Here we are." He pointed to the set. "Let's hope we can get this in one take." He looked over the script and handed it to Rhett before stepping forward and stepping onto his mark by the front of this apartment structure.

Rhett read the script to refresh his mind and set the paper down, taking his place on his mark against the 'brick' wall a ways from where Link was. 

Grace rushed over to Rhett and popped the cap on a bottle of blood, "Here, take a mouthful and swish it around." She squirted the blood into his mouth, "Okay, smile." He smiled, revealing bloodied teeth and she nodded, "Looks great." Grace grabbed one of the makeup brushes from her apron and began to dab blood at the corner of his mouth and some coming from his nose, and quickly did some bruising around Rhett's eye. She took the squirt bottle from her hip, "Close your eyes, please." After he closed his eyes, she spritzed him with the water so it looked as if he was sweating rather profusely. 

"Places, everyone." The director called. Grace hurried off the set as extras ran to take their places. "Action!"

Rhett huffed against the wall, clutching at his ribs in pain, "Elias.." He whispered and spit blood onto the ground. He looked to Link off in the distance and smiled at him weakly.

The camera panned over to Link as he came out of his apartment building, a look of worry on his face. As he stepped out into the street, a man came up behind him, grabbed him by the throat and pointed a gun to his back. Link froze, "Please, you don't want to do this.." He told the man. 

"Shut up! If you'd've just kept your nose out of the Marelli's business you wouldn't be in this position." The man warned.

Link quickly turned and grabbed the gun, pushing it away from him, a shot rang out from the gun, Rhett's blood went cold and his ears ached from the percussion. Link struggled against the man with the gun, another shot was heard and blood exploded out of Link's side, he screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground as the gunman ran off, passersby gathering around Link as he quickly snuck a blood capsule in his mouth. 

"ELIAS!" Rhett screamed and ran across the road to Link, "Move! Get out of the way!" He fought against the people of the crowd. He crouched by Link's body, his eyes wide as he watched the brunette spit up blood and sob. 

"Cut!" The director called and the cameraman moved the camera forward to where Rhett and Link were to get a better angle. "Action!"

"Elias..oh my god.." Rhett touched the blood coming from Link's side, "Baby?" He whispered, gently cradling Link's head.

"John..I'm so cold.." Link whispered weakly, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he lost consciousness.

"SOMEBODY HELP!" Rhett screamed until his voice grew hoarse, tears bubbling up in his eyes as he looked down at Link, this was all too real, it looked as if Link was dying in his arms. "Please..someone help.." He whispered to Link's head as he held him close, rocking back and forth as he sobbed.

"Alright everyone, that's a wrap!"

Link's eyes opened, immediately narrowing in worry when he saw that Rhett had not stopped crying. "Rhett?" He whispered and got up, "I-It's okay, I'm okay." He said gently.

Rhett wrapped his arms around him tightly, sniffling, "Promise me we never have to do this again?" He whispered to the brunette.

Link's heart ached for him, he knew he should have postponed filming, Rhett was in no emotional position to handle something like this. "I promise, Rhett, I'm so sorry, I should've known you weren't ready."

"Just..let's just go home."


	8. You Know I Want You

Rhett came into the house, his shoulders slumped over in pure emotional exhaustion, he was still so emotionally tired from what had happened over the span of a week, seeing Link bleeding and crumpled on the ground only set fire to those raw nerves. He sighed as he kicked off his shoes near the door, his eyes sore and burning, "I think I'm gonna go to sleep early." He said in a soft voice, his throat aching from his screams and sobs during the shoot.

"Rhett, don't you want some dinner?" Link asked as he stepped into the house, nervously chewing on his bottom lip.

"No." Rhett answered simply and walked to the office and stepped in, closing the door behind him. He undressed down to his boxers and locked the door behind him before collapsing onto the air mattress with a huff. He drew his knees up to his chest and let his guard down, fresh tears hitting his pillow case. "Please, if-" He sniffled, "If there's a God, please, let me go back. I don't like this feeling, I'm so confused. Please, just let me go home." He prayed quietly, rocking himself in an attempt to soothe himself as he spoke with God, but He didn't answer. 

Link sighed and closed the front door behind him, locked it, and went to his bedroom. _So much for it being a productive day_. He stepped into the shower and washed off the caked blood and washed out the hair gel keeping his hair slicked back. After getting clean, he stepped out of the shower and toweled himself off, walked over to the bed and got into his side. He turned on the small light above his side of the bed and grabbed one of the many books laying beside his side of the bed, he cracked it open to the point he left off and began to read.

A few hours later, Rhett was tossing and turning in his bed, unable to fall asleep despite his exhaustion. He sat up slowly, cracked his aching back and left the bed, his hands stilled at the lock and after a moment he slowly unlocked it and tiptoed into the kitchen. He made himself a glass of water as quietly as he could and gulped down the cool, refreshing liquid. He gave the cup a rinse around the rim where his lips had been and put it on the drying rack, he stopped midway in his walk to the office and slowly turned his gaze to Link's bedroom. He seemed to move towards the door without knowing why, his hand hovered over the doorknob, after taking a deep breath he opened the door slowly, "Link?" He whispered into the dark room. Nothing.

Rhett walked into the room slowly, his mind tried desperately to come up with a reason why he shouldn't be here, but his body was no longer listening. He peeled back the covers on his side of the bed and slid in, watching as Link's chest rose and fell gently in the moonlight. His heart hammered against his chest violently, increasing in it's beats the closer he inched to Link's body. He rested his head on Link's chest and laid his arm across his stomach, softly nuzzling into the brunette.

Link moaned sleepily, his hand slowly moving up Rhett's back until he came to his thick blond hair, he lazily played with his curls. "Why are you cuddling with me?" He asked gently, his voice hoarse with sleep.

"Because I need you right now." Rhett whispered, his body rigid.

"Okay." Link said with a tired smile and relaxed into the embrace, sleepily running his fingers across the blond's scalp until he fell back asleep.

Rhett's body slowly relaxed as he got used to the feeling of Link's warm skin against his, a strange feeling of calm parting the seas of confusion and worry, ushering him to a peaceful sleep. 

 

-

 

Rhett awoke slowly, the sunlight cutting through the blinds and shining in his eyes. He groaned and stretched, his eyes widening when he felt skin beneath his, he sat up and blushed when he saw Link sprawled out, mouth hanging wide open as he slept. His eyebrows furrowed and he smiled sadly, his heart aching as he watched the rise and fall of his chest with each breath. He caught himself staring and looked away with blushing cheeks, he slid out of bed and went to his dresser, picking out a t shirt and a pair of sweatpants. 

"Morning." Link said with a yawn, stretching in the bed, the covers pulled low revealing his stomach and happy trail.

"Morning." Rhett answered back, keeping his back to Link as he got dressed. He turned and stared down at the floor, "Sorry about last night, I just-"

Link shook his head, "It's okay, don't mention it."  He sat up and yawned, reaching over to his nightstand to grab his glasses.

Rhett was thankful for Link's cavalier attitude, he had felt so emotionally vulnerable that night, now he just needed some normalcy. "So, we got any plans today?"

Link chuckled, "You ask that a lot. We don't have anything until June when we go on Fallon."

Rhett raised an eyebrow, "Fallon?"

"Yeah, we've been on three times already, he's a huge fan of the show and our vlogs." Link smiled proudly. "Turn around."

"Huh?"

Link glanced down at his lap, indicating to Rhett that he was naked, Rhett said a soft 'oh' and turned, giving Link some privacy. Link walked over to his dresser and pulled out a pair of pajama pants and slid them on, "Okay, your eyes are safe now."

Rhett turned, "Do you mind if we just have a day at home? I'm kinda wiped."

"Yeah, sure." Link smiled and walked down the hall to the kitchen. 

Rhett followed him and smiled, "Your sides looking better." He said after examining the scabbed cuts on Link's side.

Link looked down at his side, the cuts were scabbing up and the bruise was beginning to fade. "Yeah, it does. Thanks, doctor." He chuckled.

Rhett went over to the fridge and opened it, fishing out the large bowl of fruit salad and scooped some into a bowl, "Want some?"

"Please."

Rhett prepared a bowl for Link and put the fruit salad back in the fridge when he spied a can of whipped cream. "Ooh." He grinned and took it out. "I know I'm not supposed to have it but, well, what the hell." He squirted whipped cream onto their fruit salad and squirted some into his mouth, making a soft 'mm' sound.

Link watched with fascination, his chin resting in his palms as he watched the blond, his heart pounding. 

Rhett handed him a bowl and a spoon and walked into the living room.

"We aren't eating at the island?" Link questioned, he took his bowl and followed Rhett.

"I figure we need a full on lazy day, no pressure, no worries, no getting thrown off a horse or falling off a mountain bike, just..us." Rhett shrugged with a smile and sat down in his recliner, he propped his feet up and took a bite of his fruit salad.

Link smiled and sat down, crossing his feet on the couch cushion, "Works for me." 

"Wanna watch a movie?"

"Mhm." Link said with a mouthful of fruit salad.

Rhett went to the movie menu on their firestick and scrolled through the new released films, "Hmm.." He clicked on one called 'The Greatest Showman', "This one looks interesting. Wanna try it?"

Link nodded, whipped cream smeared on his chin.

Rhett looked over, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, "You've got some-"

"Hm?" Link caught Rhett's gaze. "What?"

Rhett snickered, "Nothin'." He fought back a smile and pressed the 'ok' button on the remote and nestled back against the couch, eating his fruit as the movie began to play.

Within the first five minutes, Rhett was hooked, it brought him back to his memories of the traveling carnivals they got to see as kids, that feeling of childish wonder at the incredible acts as people walked the tightropes and flew through the air only to be caught by someone's arms without the promise of a safety net beneath them. He found himself tearing up at the memory of being truly amazed, such strong feelings of amazement and wonder came very rarely in his adult life, and as the movie progressed he felt that childish glee creeping up.

Rhett noticed Link had taken the seat next to him, no longer sitting all the way at the other end of the couch, his upper body and head now draped with a blanket that had been laying on the back of the couch. He chuckled, shook his head, and turned his attention back to the screen.

A beautiful woman took the stage, 'The Swedish Nightingale', as she was known, and she began to sing. Rhett instantly got goosebumps, the lyrics speaking his emotions into existence.

" _I'm trying to hold my breath,_

_let it stay this way,_

_can't let this moment end,_

_you set off a dream with me,_

_getting louder now,_

_can you hear it echoing?_

_Take my hand,_

_will you share this with me?_

_Cause darling without you,_

_all the shine of a thousand spotlights,_

_all the stars we steal from the night sky_

_will never be enough,_

_never be enough._

_Towers of gold are still too little,_

_these hands could hold the world_

_but it'll never be enough,_

_never be enough for me_."

As the song came to its end, chills went down Rhett's spine, a lump gathered in his throat and he bit back tears. It's like everything in this world was forcing him to face the same conclusion, the one he had shied away from for over twenty years. 

"That was beautiful." Link whispered, wiping at his eyes. "Don't you think so?"

Rhett nodded quietly, he had felt as if he had been stripped bare, all his secrets dragged from the shadow and put in the spotlight. He swallowed the lump in his throat and crossed his arms, focusing his attention back on the movie. As the scenes went on, he felt the weight of those words beginning to loosen their grip on him and he could breathe again, until the next song played. 

" _You know I want you,_

_it's not a secret I try to hide._

_I know you want me,_

_so don't keep saying our hands are tied._

_You claim it's not in the cards,_

_fate is pulling you miles away_

_and out of reach from me,_

_but you're here in my heart,_

_so who can stop me if I decide_

_that you're my destiny?_

_What if we rewrite the stars?_

_Say you were made to be mine,_

_nothing could keep us apart,_

_you'd be the one I was meant to find._

_It's up to you, and it's up to me,_

_no one can say what we get to be._

_So why don't we rewrite the stars?_

_Maybe the world could be ours tonight._ "

 

Rhett's arms and legs were covered in goosebumps, his hands trembled, it's as if the song was written just for him, illustrating his near lifelong internal struggle. Tears filled his eyes and he sniffled, looking away from the screen.

 

" _You know I want you,_

_it's not a secret I try to hide,_

_but I can't have you,_

_we're bound to break and_

_my hands are tied._ "

 

Rhett choked back a sob.

"Rhett?" Link asked, reaching out his hand to touch Rhett's knee. "You ok?"

Rhett sniffled, nervously worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "I'm confused, Link.." He whispered, his voice cracking.

"Confused? About what?" Link paused the movie and leaned in close.

"I have to test something.." Rhett whispered and cupped Link's face, closing the distance between them. His lips pressed against Link's gently, hesitantly moving against his, when he felt Link reciprocate, he gently swiped his tongue across Link's lower lip, their tongues brushed against the other's for the briefest of moments before Rhett pulled away. His chest rose and fell quickly, excitement pulsing within his body, he desperately searched Link's eyes for answers, for directions, for anything. 

Link's eyes began to tear, he slowly reached out his hand and rested his palm against the side of Rhett's face, gently brushing his cheek with his thumb. "What do you feel, Rhett?"

"I.." Rhett swallowed nervously, his eyes breaking contact, "I liked it.." He said barely above a whisper, there would be no turning back now, he had opened the gates, and now would come the flood.


	9. Internal War

Link's eyes widened and his heart began to pound, he withdrew his hand from Rhett's face and took a deep breath, "So..what does this mean?" He whispered, afraid of what the answer might be.

Rhett swallowed nervously, "I'm not sure, I..I don't know what to do, or what to say."

"Just tell me what you feel."

"I don't know what I feel." Rhett stood and began pacing around the room, "I mean, there..there were times when I wondered what it would be like, maybe more than a few, but I never thought those feelings would ever come to the surface." Tears began to sting his eyes, words struggling to leave his mouth.

"And what are those feelings, Rhett? Just tell me. You can tell me anything, remember?" Link leaned forward, his elbows resting on his knees.

Heat began to rise up Rhett's neck and he growled in frustration, "I love you more than I do my own goddamned wife, Link!" He yelled, his hands thrown up in the air, "It's always been that way, you're always the person I run to when I'm supposed to run to the one I _married_. She's..she's been so good to me, raised my children while I was out living my dream with _you_. No wonder she's become so bitter, she knew what I felt without me having to say it. You wanna know why 'Stuck on You' played at my wedding? Because I just wanted to show you that I still loved you, it was _our_ song, and I wanted you to know that nothing would ever change. _That's_ why. My wife thinks it's some romantic declaration of love to her, but really it was a secret promise to  _you_." He sighed, dropping down to his knees, hot tears rolling down his cheeks. "That night when we went camping, I-" His voice cracked, conveying the inner pain he felt, "I wanted so badly to turn around, to say something to you, but I was so scared..I was so scared, Link. What if you had just been dreaming? I would've felt like a fool. I was so afraid of ruining our friendship, you were my best friend first, and as the years went by it became easier to just tuck those feelings away." 

Link sighed, "Why did you lock your door the other night? I've never known you to lock me out.."

Rhett laughed bitterly, "Is it that hard to work out, Link? I was afraid of what I might do, I..I was protecting myself, I didn't trust myself to stay away from your bedroom. Last night, I..there was so much going on, I did the same thing I always do, I run to the one person I know can make me feel safe." He sobbed, covering his face with his hands, "I'm so sorry.."

Link wiped a stray tear from his cheek and slowly got onto the floor and crawled over to Rhett, he sat across from him, slowly reaching out his hand to rest on Rhett's knee, "Why are you sorry?"

"I'm so selfish. My wife is back at home looking after my children, and here I am living the life with _you_. I've betrayed her in my heart countless times, and now..I've kissed you. I feel like my hands are magnets, I can't help but want to reach out to you." Rhett sniffled and wiped at his eyes, "But this isn't real, none of this is..if I ever go back to my own world, none of this will have happened, it all would've been for nothing."

"No, Rhett. No." Link gently rubbed his arm, "Not for nothing." He took a deep breath, "What if this was all meant to happen? Maybe I was meant to help you come to terms with your feelings? You said yourself, the longer time went on the easier it was to hide it all away, maybe this is a sign that those feelings can't be hidden anymore?"

Rhett swallowed the lump in his throat, "But my family, I'd have to leave them to be with you..I can't have both. I don't want my children coming from a broken home."

Link felt a pang in his heart, he sniffled, "I came from a broken home, Rhett. How do you think I felt? My dad left when I was too little to remember, and then my step dad left, leaving me and my mom all alone. I fought with myself every day, trying to figure out what I could've possibly done to make them leave me and my mom. But you know what? I realized that it wasn't my fault, I learned that sometimes things don't work out, it didn't mean they loved me any less. Our children will understand that too."

"I don't know if I can do that to them, or to Jessie and Christy. They've been through so much with us..we've all become one big family, how many lives will I ruin just to be with you?" Rhett wiped at his eyes, "And what if it's too late for us? What if our time to be together has already passed? To break up our families to be together and then come to find out we just don't work.." He looked up at Link, "I don't know what to do, you have to tell me what to do, Link.." He whispered.

Link smiled, his heart shattering, "That's something you have to decide by yourself, Rhett. Either way, it's going to hurt, you just have to decide which pain you can live with, either way, I'm here."

Rhett pulled the brunette into a hug, sobbing quietly into his shoulder, his hands grasping him tightly as if he were going to float away. 

Link sighed and wrapped his arms tightly around him, "I'm here." He whispered gently to him and rubbed his back, gently rocking him until his sobs ceased nearly half an hour later.

 

-

 

Rhett finally pulled away from Link's embrace, whispering his apologies, for what, Link didn't know.

"It's okay." Link gave him a smile and stood up, holding out his hand to him, "Come on." He helped the blond up and patted his back, gently rubbing his shoulders.

Rhett sat back down on the couch and chuckled, "We didn't even get to finish the movie." He said softly, trying to lighten the mood.

"Are you sure you want to finish it?" Link sat down at the other end of the couch to give him some space.

"Yeah. I'm okay now." Rhett pressed the play button on the remote and leaned his back against the couch, pushing all thought of their previous conversation out of his mind for the time being so he could have even a small shred of peace. Link had been right of course, he needed to really think things through, consider every option, and above all else, decide what he wanted for himself.

They continued watching the movie, and Rhett found himself smiling, it truly was an incredible movie, the music, the effects, the costumes, the entire feel made him feel like an excited child.

Link watched Rhett from the corner of his eye and his heart went out to him, he knew Rhett just needed some wind down time, some time to relax and push his cares away so his heart could heal the wounds that had been ripped open just half an hour before. An idea struck him and Link felt his stomach twist with excitement, he knew what he needed! He took out his phone and went to google, frantically searching through various websites until he found the right one. _In two days? Perfect_ , he thought to himself, and bought two tickets.

As the credits began to roll, Rhett smiled up at the screen, "That was amazing." He smiled over at Link, "Hugh Jackman never disappoints."

"You should've seen him in Les Mis, amazing actor." Link smiled and took the remote, changing the movie to one of BBC's nature documentaries narrated by David Attenborough. "I've got a surprise." He grinned.

Rhett raised an eyebrow, "Yeah?"

"Yep. In two days, I'm taking you out, I figured we needed a night out without any kind of stress." 

Rhett smiled, his heart fluttering, Link always knew the best ways to put a smile on his face and make him feel taken care of. "And let me guess, you aren't going to tell me what it is, and I don't get any hints?"

"Correct!" Link chuckled and nudged Rhett's ribs with his bare foot, tickling him.

Rhett smacked at his foot, giggling and shying away, "Stop!" He reached over and took Link's foot, tickling the sole.

Link guffawed and tried to tug his foot away, "No! Not fair!" He giggled wildly, pushing at Rhett's strong hands.

"Hey, you started it." Rhett teased.

"You know what? Fine." Link leaned over and tickled at Rhett's sides and Rhett squealed, recoiling from his touch. "Who's helpless now?" He cackled evilly.

Rhett smirked and pulled away, "You are." He said and laid on him, "I'm dead." He stated simply, letting his full weight go on the brunette.

Link groaned, "Ugh, you're so heavy! Get up!" He protested, struggling under Rhett's weight.

"Can't hear you, I'm dead."


	10. Stolen Kisses

Two Days Later-

 

Rhett woke up before Link, he cracked his back after getting off of the air mattress and left the office, walking down the hall into the kitchen and turned to walk down the hall leading to Link's room. "Link?" He called and gently knocked before entering the room, he didn't know why he felt he had to knock, they had always been the type to enter into each other's rooms with little to no warning or notice, but somehow he felt as if he were intruding. 

"Mm?" Link asked sleepily, his head under his pillow.

"Time to get up." Rhett nudged the foot of the bed.

"I'm up." Link yawned and stretched in his bed, "Ugh. What time is it?"

"Umm." Rhett checked his phone, "Noon." He went over to his dresser and grabbed a pair of jeans, his cactus button up shirt, socks and a pair of boxers. He shot a glance at the sleepy brunette and felt his heart skip a beat for a moment, they hadn't spoken of what happened just a couple of days prior, and now there was an awkward elephant in the room that seemed to stare him down whenever he was in the room with Link. Rhett forced himself to look away and stepped into the bathroom, leaving the door cracked in case Link needed to come in, part of him wondered what he'd do if he walked in on him dressing. He shook the thought away and got dressed, silently reminding himself that these feelings were still raw, that he was allowed to feel any way he liked, but that his actions had to be carefully thought out, the wrong move could so easily unravel everything he had worked so hard for. 

The day Rhett had confessed his feelings, he spent his night in the office, pacing as he tried to think things through. On the one hand, he had an amazing best friendship with Link that he cherished, and on the other he had the life he spent nearly two decades building with Jessie, was he really willing to give it all up for him? Rhett began to think about his Link, he had indeed refreshed his hair and started working out more, refusing to touch his wife, all of which either pointed to a midlife crisis or cheating. The pain of that thought shot through Rhett's heart, imagining him being unfaithful to Christy grew anger in the pit of his stomach, with a twinge of jealousy. _What if he was trying to get_ me _to notice him? What if all that was just for me?_ He started to wonder to himself but he knew it couldn't be, his Link couldn't possibly love him, this new world was all just a great big joke reminding him that the love he longed for could never be. 

As Rhett fixed his hair, his mind wandered, would it really be so bad to be with this Link? To see how the fantasy would play out? It's not as if this world would count anyways, and he didn't know how long he'd be here. What if he was here for ten years? Would he kick himself in the ass for not making a move when he had every opportunity to? _But what if I do bridge that gap, won't it just make these feelings harder to ignore?_ He thought to himself, _and when I go back home it will be hard to look my Link in the eye knowing that I had a physical relationship with him, knew how his lips felt against mine, knew the curve of his hips, knew the very sounds he'd make when my breath hit his neck._

Rhett's thought process was interrupted by Link's voice. "Wait, what'd you say? I'm sorry, I kinda spaced out." He told the brunette.

"It's okay. I asked if you were ready, we've gotta leave here in a bit." Link said with a smile, tugging on his "It's ok Pluto, I'm not a planet either" shirt. He smoothed out his top and looked at himself in the mirror, not too shabby. His alarm went off on his phone, he dismissed it, muttering in an annoyed voice, "I'm up."

"Yeah, I'm ready." Rhett left the room, excitement flooding his veins. "So, you finally gonna tell me where we're going?" He leaned against the doorframe.

Link rolled his eyes playfully, "Nope!" He stepped over to his dresser and put on his favorite cologne, the moment the scent hit Rhett's nostrils he felt a chill run down his spine, it complimented Link's body chemistry very well, he wished he could be enveloped in that scent forever.

Rhett groaned in mock annoyance, he both hated and loved surprises, the curiosity about made him shatter. He left the room and slipped on his shoes at the door, grabbing the keys. When Link came over to the door, he handed the keys to him, the warm touch of Link's fingers against his made him inhale sharply, his skin tingling under the brief touch. 

Rhett and Link walked outside to the car and got in. Link fixed his mirrors and seat, buckled himself in and began to back out of the driveway, a car sped up behind him, blowing their horn at him in anger. "Jesus, Link!" Rhett grabbed the dashboard, he looked over at Link with wide eyes.

Link growled and honked his horn back at the car he nearly hit, "Asshole!" He yelled, though the car was long gone and couldn't hear his berating.

Rhett shook his head, "You should've looked behind you." He reminded him and pointed to the radio that had a large display, "It shows you what's behind you when you back up, ya know."

Link waved him away, "I never use that thing."

Rhett couldn't keep himself from chuckling, different world, same Link, so quick to become annoyed even when it was his fault. He turned on the radio and leaned back against his chair, watching the city pass by through his window. He tried to work out where they were going based on the streets they were taking, but every option he thought of, they would inevitably pass by. Soon, they got onto the interstate and Rhett felt himself tense up a little, Link was a good driver but he made mistakes quite often, mostly driving too fast. 

After twenty minutes or so, they exited off the interstate and Link grinned, "Close your eyes." He warned Rhett.

Rhett closed his eyes tightly and covered them with a hand, not trusting himself to keep his eyes fully closed. 

Link made a couple turns and after five minutes on a long stretch of road, turned into a parking lot in front of a large building, a giant sign against the building flapping in the wind. "Okay, you can open them now." Link looked over at him excitedly. 

Rhett removed his hand and opened his eyes, the moment his eyes laid upon the banner they widened in shock, "No way! Cirque Du Soliel?!" He grinned.

"Yep! Front row, too." Link said proudly and unbuckled himself, he turned off the car and opened the door, "Well come on." He teased.

Rhett unbuckled himself and opened the door, getting out with a bounce in his step, he had seen advertisements for Cirque Du Soliel many times, but they were never in town when he had the time to see it. He looked at Link, his insides wound up tightly, "Thank you." He pulled him into a quick hug.

Link smiled in Rhett's embrace, breathing in his earthy scent before pulling away, "You're welcome." His hunch had been right, he knew that Rhett needed a distraction and boy, was it. After Rhett's excitement over The Greatest Showman, he knew a trip to the circus would be the perfect remedy to take the weight off of his shoulders, if only for a couple hours.

Rhett and Link walked towards the building, both practically jumping up and down in excitement. Inside, the place swarmed with people, the scent of fresh hotdogs and popcorn filling the air. An announcer over the loudspeakers warned that the show would begin in twenty minutes.

"Want anything to eat or drink?" Link asked, looking up at the blond.

"Yeah, I'm starved." Rhett patted his stomach and walked over to one of the concession stands. "Hi, can I get some nachos and a large red icee? Want anything, Link?"

"Yeah, a large popcorn and a medium coke."

"What kind?"

"Hmm. A Mellow Yellow, please."

"Okay, and a large popcorn, and a medium Mellow Yellow, please." Rhett told the cashier. After the cashier input their food and drink and the total came up, Rhett slid his card into the chip reader to pay for it.

"Here you go." The cashier handed them their food and drink.

Rhett took the popcorn and Mellow Yellow and handed them to Link before grabbing his nachos and his icee. He slurped the slushy red liquid and moaned, "Mm. So delicious and sugary. Jessie never lets me have these anymore." He chuckled and shook his head.

Link felt his stomach twist, "I never understood how someone can put rules on their partner like that. She's your wife, not your mother. I mean true, there are things you shouldn't do in a relationship, but things like this?" He motioned to Rhett's junk food, "It's your decision, you are an adult." He never would have placed limitations on Rhett like that, it's not as if the blond was a diabetic and needed monitoring, what was a little sugar and salt here and there?

Rhett sighed, "Sorry for bringing her up again." He whispered, feeling the all too familiar stare of the elephant in the room burning holes in his back.

"Don't be, it's okay. I'm sorry for going off, I just.." Link sighed, "Nevermind. Let's go get our seats!" He stepped over to one of the ticket takers and put his popcorn in the crook of his arm and held his drink in the same arm so he could fish his phone out of his pocket. "Here you go." He said and brought up the receipt for his tickets on his phone.

The lady scanned it and smiled, "Okay, you're all set. You're both in the front, seats seven and eight. Enjoy the show!"

"Thank you." They both said to her before walking into the showroom.

"There we are." Rhett pointed and hurried over to their seats. Link followed behind him, smiling and shaking his head at the blond's childish glee.

Link sat down and put his popcorn between his legs, he sipped at his drink and after the stinging sensation in his throat subsided he let out a sigh, "Damn. I forgot how delicious Mellow Yellow is. Remember how obsessed we were with it in college? I'd come home from my mom's with new cassettes, freshly washed clothes, and cases of Mellow Yellow."

Rhett laughed, "Of course I remember! That's all we ever drank for damn near a year." He eyed the soda in Link's hand.

"Want a sip?" Link held the cup out to Rhett.

"Ugh. Yes." Rhett took the straw into his mouth and sucked, trying not to think of Link's tender lips being on it just moments before, and pulled back with a groan. "That is so good. Tastes just like college." He chuckled and popped one of his nachos in his mouth.

The two made idle chatter while they waited for the show to start, and suddenly the lights began to dim and music began to play, Rhett paused in the middle of his sentence and looked at the stage with wide eyes.

The story of the show told how Icarus flew too close to the sun and fell into this lush jungle scape, there he met many different characters, one of them was a princess like creature whom he fell in love with almost instantly. Half way through the show, the clowns came onto the stage, though they weren't the same sort he had grown up with, no big red nose and fuzzy hair. One of the clowns was a man dressed in a suit with his hair slicked back, he lip synced to a song, but the spotlight always seemed to escape him, he ran around the stage frantically to catch up with the spotlight, near out of breath and sweating.

Rhett cackled, physical comedy had always been his favorite. The lights became a little bit brighter and the clown hopped off the stage, he picked a random man from the crowd and had him do various poses, and unbeknownst to the man he expertly unclasped his watch and took it from him. When the clown asked for the time, the man checked his wrist to find that his watch was gone, he looked around in confusion and the clown held it up with a grin. The man laughed and took his watch back, and went back to his seat. The clown scanned the crowd and his eyes fell upon Rhett and Link, he stepped over and took Rhett's right arm and draped it over the shoulders of Link and laid Rhett's head on Link's shoulder. The crowd laughed and clapped, the clown grinned and motioned for the two to kiss.

Rhett felt his face grow red with embarrassment, he looked over at Link, searching his eyes for consent. Link smiled and leaned forward, gently pressing his lips to Rhett's. Rhett's eyes fluttered closed and his body relaxed, he moved his lips against his feverishly, tugging on the brunette's lower lip as he sucked it. Link whimpered against him, his hands grasping Rhett's shoulders, pulling him closer, all thought of the people around them faded away and all that was there was Rhett. Heat grew in the pit of Rhett's stomach, a pulse began to ache between his thighs at Link's whimpers, he had to stop, if he didn't he would devour the brunette and make him scream in ecstacy. 

When they pulled away from each other, their lips ached and began to swell slightly, the crowd exploded in cheers and whistles and the clown applauded them before getting back onto the stage. Rhett looked into Link's eyes, panting as he drew his lower lip between his teeth, he had never felt such a raw need from just kissing before. Link smiled and rubbed his shoulder, no words needed to be said, they had already conveyed so much with just the touch of their skin. 

Rhett turned his attention back to the show, his blood on fire from his kiss with Link, it took him nearly ten minutes to actually pay attention to the show as he kept replaying the exchange in his head over and over again; normally public displays of affection made him uncomfortable, but somehow when it was Link, he didn't care where they were, only that it was Link who was touching him. 

As the show came to the a close and all the acrobats, singers, and actors came to the front of the stage to bow, Rhett stood and applauded, whistling loudly for them. It truly was an incredible show, its acts were so far beyond a regular circus, capturing the wonder and amazement he had felt as a kid with Link when they saw the traveling circus every summer in Buies Creek. 

The lights came back on and the performers departed, Rhett grabbed his empty box of nachos and icee and looked over at Link with shining eyes, "That was amazing!" He exclaimed.

Link grinned and stood, gathering his empty containers, "It really was." He whispered, biting his lip as he thought of the kiss they shared. They both left the showroom and tossed their containers in the recycling, heading towards the main doors. 

"Wait." Rhett's hand gently touched Link's shoulder, he knew what he was about to do, and there was no stopping him, consequences be damned. As Link turned to face the blond, Rhett gently cupped his chin and kissed him once more, pouring every ounce of what he felt into the motions of his lips and tongue. Link whined softly, the tip of his tongue teasing Rhett's lower lip, their bodies pressed together a moment and Rhett wrapped his arms around him, Link nestled in against him, the feeling of security overwhelmed him.

Rhett slowly parted his lips from Link's and he looked down into his blue eyes, almost at a loss for words. "Thank you." He whispered, gently working slow circles into Link's sides with his thumbs.

"Y-you're welcome, Rhett." Link whispered, staring up at him with a kiss-drunk smile. 

Hesitantly, Rhett withdrew his arms from Link's body and smiled at him before leaving the building, his heart hammering against his chest so hard he thought his sternum might break. With each interaction with Link, he was pulled closer to him, and further away from the woman he had promised his life, he knew there would be a point of no return for them, and it was fast approaching, he would have to make a decision that would either damn him or redeem him.


	11. I Will Give Everything

The car ride home from the circus was a quiet one, every lingering question and thought drowned out by the blasting music. Rhett was thankful for the distraction, anything to distract him from the unending need he felt. Ever since the day that Link kissed him, he found himself thinking of it, and every time the thought of their lips pressed together in it's forbidden embrace, he felt his blood catch fire in the most delicious of ways. 

"Rhett?" Link asked gently, reaching out to touch Rhett's shoulder.

Rhett turned to him, "Hmm?"

"We're home." 

Rhett looked out his window, indeed they were, how had time gone by so quickly? He got out of the car and walked to the house, his hands trembling as he fought back the desire he had awakened just half an hour previous. When Link unlocked the door, he stepped inside and kicked off his shoes, "I'm gonna go grab a shower." He hurried to the master bedroom and stepped into the bathroom, shedding his clothes in a couple of quick movements. He looked down at his body and groaned in annoyance at the very obvious sign of his arousal and stepped into the shower, turning the knob to the right. The cold water hit his skin and he gasped in shock, fighting against his instincts telling him to warm the water, and soon he felt his arousal began to fade, of which he was extremely thankful.

Rhett pressed his forehead to the shower wall and took a deep breath, silently running over the events of the day in his head. _It was only a kiss, it was only a kiss_ , he repeated to himself, but no matter how many times he told himself that, he knew it wasn't true. The worst betrayal wasn't in his actions, but in the meaning that had been behind the kiss, it had held too much weight in his heart. The question of the day seemed to be: "Am I really ready to give up everything for him?", it circled his brain, bubbled up in his throat, strangled him. What if he was only feeling this way because he knew he couldn't have him? Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest, they always said. Rhett sighed and sat down in the tub, resting his aching back against the wall, and he closed his eyes, allowing his most intimate of thoughts to come forward, letting his darkest feelings into the light, if only for a moment. 

 _Would it really be so bad to explore this?_ Rhett wondered. He thought back to his life with Jessie, comparing his thoughts and feelings of their lives together versus what he felt for Link, and his life with Jessie paled in comparison. _We never do anything together, she never takes care of me, some days she won't even let me touch her_ , he thought to himself. Link had this undeniable appeal, he was the perfect husband, making sure that Rhett felt loved and appreciated, he spent every moment of the day declaring his love for Rhett, in millions of little ways. Rhett couldn't deny the need he felt for the brunette, it was far stronger than anything he had ever felt with Jessie, perhaps it wouldn't hurt to explore it further, if only to figure out what exactly he felt. Was it truly just the appeal of forbidden fruit? Or was it decades of feelings finally coming to the surface for air?

It was then Rhett made his decision, he couldn't push those emotions away anymore.

Rhett turned off the shower and stepped out, toweling his body off. "Link? Can you come here for a minute?" He called and sat down on the edge of the bed, water dripping down his naked body. 

"Yeah?" Link opened the door and gasped when he saw Rhett's naked body on his bed, he quickly looked away, his cheeks pink with embarrassment, "I'm so sorry, Rhett! I should have knocked!"

"Link."

"Yeah?"

"Look at me." Rhett said softly, his chest heaving. "Please. Look at me."

Link's eyes widened and he slowly turned to face Rhett, biting his lower lip as he forced himself to keep his eyes on Rhett's. "I don't understand-"

Rhett held up his hand, silencing Link. "Come here."

Link stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. With a gulp, he stepped closer to the blond.

"Closer."

Link stepped closer, once he was a foot away, Rhett grabbed his hands and pulled him forward. 

Rhett fell backwards onto the bed, Link's petite body falling onto Rhett's. Rhett's fingers tangled in Link's hair as he pressed his lips to his, teasing his tongue against his lower lip until, with a whimper, Link parted his lips. Rhett sucked the tip of Link's tongue and nipped at his lower lip, causing the brunette to whimper against his lips. He kissed his way along Link's stubbled jaw until he reached his adam's apple, he kissed the bulging in his throat and swirled his tongue around it, feeling it bob as Link's gulped. "Get undressed." Rhett whispered against his skin, his breath coming out in small hot bursts against Link's sweat kissed skin.

Link blushed and sat up, his knees on either side of Rhett's hips, he could feel Rhett's arousal pressed against the front of his jeans, his own length throbbing with desire. He got off of the bed and drew his tshirt over his head, tossing it aside before unbuttoning his jeans, slowly he eased his pants and boxers down, revealing his hardened member. 

Lust overcame Rhett, his blood boiled and his body ached, needing to touch Link. "Come here." He motioned with his pointer finger for Link to come over to him. He moved back on the bed a little to give them both plenty of room, and bit his lip, all inhibition thrown out the window when he saw just how hard Link was for him with hardly any foreplay done.

Link got onto the bed and climbed onto Rhett's lap, leaning down to capture his lips, feverishly swirling his tongue around his and sucking it, small whimpers left his lips when he felt Rhett's arousal pressed against his, the anticipation was almost maddening. "I want you, Rhett." Link whispered and kissed Rhett's right ear, teasing the lobe between his teeth.

Rhett moaned softly, his hands gripping Link's back, "Say that again." He begged, biting his lip to keep himself composed.

"I need you inside me, Rhett." Link moaned, drawing Rhett's earlobe between his lips to suck it.

Rhett growled in pleasure and pushed Link away, he quickly got off of the bed and grabbed Link's feet, tugging him until his legs draped over the edge of the bed. He got down onto his knees and spread Link's thighs, whimpering as he got closer to Link's throbbing cock. He gulped, swallowing down the nervousness, and gripped the base of Link's thickness, leaning forward to press a kiss to the tip of his length. Link whimpered, gripping the sheets as he looked down at Rhett, it had been so long since he had felt the blond's lips wrapped around him, he had almost forgotten what it felt like. Rhett parted his lips slowly, allowing his tongue to toy with Link's tip, slowly circling it before drawing him into his mouth, inch by inch. 

Link let out a loud moan, the feeling of Rhett's mouth around his cock driving him up the wall, his length pulsed in his mouth, already so close to release. "Rhett, s-slow down.." He pleaded, his toes curling in pleasure. 

Rhett looked up at him with a smirk, sucking harder as he took every inch into his mouth, fighting against his gag reflex, his tongue playfully moving side to side against the underside of Link's thickness. He heard Link gasp, watched as he writhed on the bed, Rhett's name on his lips like a prayer, he felt Link's cock throb in his mouth one final time as he reached his climax, his warm cum hitting the back of his throat in a violent pulse. Rhett gulped down every last drop and slowly withdrew his length from his mouth, teasing his tongue around him one final time before letting him go.

Link gasped, his body trembling as he tried to form words, but every one died in his throat.

Rhett stood up and grabbed Link's legs, pushing them back until they were pressed against his chest, revealing his tight hole that was just begging to be stretched. He drew his lower lip between his teeth, looking down at Link's vulnerable position, desire began to build once more, causing his cock to ache with need. 

"Y-your night..stand.." Link said weakly, his body spent from the force of his orgasm.

Rhett opened the drawer of his nightstand, smirking at the large bottle of lube, he squeezed the slick liquid onto his length and worked his hand around it before squeezing a generous amount onto Link's hole. He slid two fingers into Link, the brunette gasped and covered his mouth to keep himself quiet, his hips rocking forward to meet the rhythm of Rhett's fingers. 

"No." Rhett leaned forward and took Link's hand away from his lips, "I want to hear you. I want everyone to know who's doing this to you." He growled, his expression turning almost dark as his desire began to drive him, instinct taking over.

Link nodded quietly, nibbling his lower lip as he watched the tall blond close the gap between them, the tip of his cock pressed against his puckered hole. 

With a deep breath, Rhett forced his tip into Link, the warmth and tightness of his ass almost forced him to orgasm, he moaned softly and fought against the pleasure as he slowly slid into Link, inch after inch until he was entirely inside of the whimpering brunette. Rhett paused for a moment, adjusting to the tightness and slowly began to withdraw himself, thrusting forward against Link's prostate. With every thrust, Link's moans became louder and more insistent, his own arousal building up once more, a bead of precum dripping down his length. 

Rhett looked down at him, drunk on the pleasure and pure instinctual need he felt, they were no longer in control, they were both slaves to their desire. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Link's throat, biting his skin almost too hard as he forced his hips forward with each thrust, slamming every inch inside of Link, painfully pressing against his most sensitive spot. 

Link fought against the pain, finding it pleasurable despite the pain, Rhett had never been this rough with him before, and he couldn't lie, it was exciting. "Rhett, please!" He howled, gripping his back, his nails clawing into his skin, he didn't know what he was begging for, he just knew that he needed it. With every thrust, Link's ass began to ache in a mixture of pain and pleasure, his cock being rubbed against both of their abdomens, pushing him further to the edge. "Cum inside me, Rhett, I need it." Link begged, pulling Rhett's chest tighter to his, increasing the friction against his length. 

Rhett gasped softly, Link's whimpering and begging pushing him over the edge. He thrust hard into Link, cumming into him as he feverishly began to thrust, his movements fast and uncontrollable as he rode the wave of his orgasm.

Link moaned Rhett's name, his cum covering their stomachs as the pressure inside of him and the friction of Rhett's body against him drove him to his second climax. He collapsed onto the bed, his arms sprawled out as he tried to catch his breath, his hips instinctively bucking against Rhett's length. 

Rhett's thrusts began to slow as the pleasure began to fade, he easily withdrew from Link's hole and fell onto the bed beside him, panting, his mind swimming with drunkeness due to the various chemicals firing in his brain. He looked over at Link, his heart racing, he felt tears fill his eyes, he had crossed that bridge, and now there was no going back. 

Link turned his attention to Rhett and smiled weakly, "That was-", he began.

"Incredible." Rhett whispered, his voice cracking. He pulled Link onto him and kissed him tenderly, slowly moving his lips against his as tears freely streamed down his cheeks, their lips parted with a gasp. Rhett pressed his sweaty forehead against Link's, still panting, "I.." He took a deep breath, "I love you, Link." 

"I love you too." Link whispered and sniffled as tears stung his eyes. He moved down a little and laid his head against Rhett's heaving chest, their bodies beaming in the afterglow. "Does..does this mean you've chosen me?" Link bit his lower lip, nervously tugging at it.

"Yes." Rhett whispered, his fingers tangling themselves in Link's hair as he gently massaged his scalp, "Yes." His eyes closed, his words were the final nail in his coffin, there would be no coming back from this, he had made the impossible choice. 


	12. Past The Point Of No Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. I was really feelin' the romance today. *heart eyes* Sorry for the short chapter, more will come soon!

Sunlight danced across Rhett's closed eyelids, he groaned as consciousness returned to him and the light stung his eyes through his lids. He turned his face away from the window and slowly opened his eyes, his vision focusing after a few moments; he looked beside him at the slumbering brunette and felt a lump gather in his throat as he looked at him, Link was curled up beside him on his side, his hair tousled and his lips slightly parted as he softly snored.

Slowly Rhett reached out his hand and ran his fingers through Link's salt and peppered locks, admiring the way his greys added highlight to his hair, somehow it was very becoming of him. Rhett must have laid there for nearly an hour watching Link sleep, taking his time in massaging his scalp and playing with his hair, his heart still fluttering as it had the previous night when he had consummated his love for Link. He felt himself blush at the memory, he had always wanted his first time with him to be slow and gentle, but decades of repressed emotion and lust had taken over and his desire had driven him, but even so, it was something he had needed, to finally put all of his emotions out in the open and act unabashedly was therapeutic; there was no more hiding, no more guilt, no more shame, he could live the life he had always wanted with the one man who meant the world to him. Rhett thought to himself, _if I had never come to this world, would I have ever told Link, or would I have taken it to my grave_? The thought caused his heart to ache, he couldn't imagine living out the rest of his life without ever saying anything to him now that he had crossed that boundary, now he felt a courage that was previously unknown to him, he felt unstoppable. A sudden realization came to him and he felt himself shudder, did he even want to go back? Here, they could be free and in love, but in his world he would have to go through the pain of breaking the news to his family and to Link, who may not even reciprocate those feelings. It was true, he would miss his family and his Link, and the life they had all shared, but he wouldn't miss the pain of fighting against who he really was, nor would he miss the countless nights he would lie awake wanting more. _They're better off without me, at least this way, I can't hurt them, it's a win-win. But what if I do have to go back? I'll have to start all over again, decades too late._

"Penny for your thoughts?" Link whispered and pressed a kiss to Rhett's bare shoulder.

Rhett looked down at Link, remaining quiet for a moment just to gaze into his eyes, a soft smile tugging at his lips. "I'm just..happy." He whispered and leaned in, softly pressing his lips to Link's. He rubbed Link's cheek with the back of his hand, "I've never felt this way before, I feel like this kind of happiness might just make my heart explode. Here, feel." He took Link's hand in his and pressed it to his chest, where just inches beneath his heart pounded furiously. 

Link smiled and kissed Rhett's chest, his fingers gently running across his chest hair. "I know what you mean. I have to say, last night was..surprising. I honestly thought that would never happen." He looked into Rhett's eyes, "You've been going through so much lately, I didn't want to push you."

"I'm sorry for making you worry. It's been a revelation really, so many thoughts and emotions that I've buried for years couldn't be denied anymore. Do..do you feel bad for being with me, knowing that I'm not _your_ Rhett?"

Link shook his head, "No, because you _are_ mine, Rhett. In any existence, in any time, you're the Rhett that I love."

Rhett drew his lower lip between his teeth, fighting the stinging sensation in his eyes, "I don't know if I want to go back.."

"I know." Link nestled his head onto Rhett's chest and sighed, "But eventually you may have to, you and I are already happy in this life, now we need to be in _your_ world. I think your time here was meant to prepare you for what you need to do, but until then we get to enjoy these moments." He squeezed Rhett close to him. "I love you more than the air I breathe."

Rhett smiled and looked up at the ceiling, his heart racing. "I love you, always have. Meeting you set me on this incredible path in life that wouldn't have been possible without you, you're a part of me, and when you're gone I feel you missing, it's like a deep hole inside my soul that's shaped like you, and only you can fill it." He ran his hand down Link's side, mentally drawing out a topographical map of his curves, making a mental note of his body and how it felt against his skin. 

"When did you know you felt for me, Rhett?"

Rhett thought for a moment, "I think part of me always knew, but it was your wedding day that the realization slapped me in the face. The months of your engagement to Christy were rough for me, but I couldn't understand why, I chalked it up to a fear that I was somehow gonna lose my best friend, but your wedding day, that's when it sunk in. I was standing outside the church, waiting for my turn to walk down the aisle with one of Christy's bridesmaids, and I looked towards the altar, and you were looking at me-" Rhett's voice cracked, he cleared his throat, "We exchanged this look, I don't even know how to describe it, but I knew that things were changing for us, I wasn't your favorite person anymore, and any chance I had at being with you was gone. That night after the reception, I went to the bar and got really drunk, I was so angry, at you, at me, at Christy, our circumstances, just..everything, but like always, I said nothing of it to you, and buried it deep inside." Rhett sighed softly at the memory of that night. He had spent hours at that bar, so drunk he could barely stand, he stumbled home in the early hours of the morning, but before he could even reach his apartment he spilled his guts in the alleyway just five blocks from his home and collapsed onto the cold, damp ground, crying for Link until his voice was lost. 

Link remained quiet, his heart ached for him, he wished he could simply reach into Rhett's chest and piece together his broken heart, because even though they were together now and happy, he knew that this wasn't where Rhett was meant to be. Rhett wasn't supposed to be here, his place was elsewhere, and Link knew the only real way Rhett could heal was if by some miracle he could get back to his own world and get his Link to fall in love with him, his time here was simply a bandaid covering a bullet wound that had festered for decades. 

 

"Link?" Rhett asked gently.

Link was pulled from his thoughts, "Mm?"

"What if I never go back? I mean, doesn't it hurt that you kind of have to start everything over again with me?"

Link shook his head, "No, if anything it's a bit cathartic. I get to relive every beautiful moment with you, get to kiss you for the first time again, touch you for the first time, it's a beautiful gift to be given."

Rhett felt tears spring forth, he sniffled and wiped at his eyes. "But.."

Link sat up and cupped Rhett's face, "Rhett? Look at me."

Rhett looked into Link's eyes, his own bloodshot and tearing.

Link smiled softly and leaned in close, pressing his lips against Rhett's for a moment, as he pulled away he stroked Rhett's cheek, "I don't care what kind of speed bumps happen in our lives, whatever tough decisions we face, I choose us."

Rhett's heart pounded, Link was right, as long as they had each other, the details didn't matter, there was no pain or worry or heartbreak when they had their love to guide them through the ups and downs of their lives.


	13. The Long Way Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this chapter took so damn long(depression has been whoopin' my ass lol), thank you to everyone who has stuck around and given me support, it means far more than you could ever know! <3 I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Rhett groaned as he awoke, he stretched and his back gave a loud crack, he sighed in relief. He reached out his left hand to feel around for Link, but found nothing. "Link?" His eyes opened as he looked to his side.  
He sat up slowly and rubbed at his eyes, he pulled himself out of bed and walked down the hallway, smiling when he saw Link pacing around the dining room.  
"Mhm. Yeah, I know!" Link said into the phone with a smile, one hand on his hip as he walked in circles around the room, looking down at the floor. "That sounds great, I'll check our calendar and see if we're free." He lied. "Okay, I love you too. Bye." He hung up the phone and placed it back in the cradle on the kitchen island. When he saw Rhett standing there, he grinned, "Hey you!"  
"Who was that?" Rhett pointed to the phone.  
Link walked over to him and wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed a kiss to his neck, "Your mom, she wants us to come to 'Carolina for your dad's birthday tomorrow. I told her we'd have to check our schedule, but really I wanted to ask you first just in case this is too fast for you."  
Rhett's expression softened, he loved how Link looked out for him. "I'd love to. I haven't seen my parents since Christmas."  
"You sure you're ready?" Link's fingers worked slow circles against Rhett's bare lower back.  
"Mhm." Rhett smiled and pressed a kiss to Link's forehead. "We staying at their house or are we getting a hotel?"  
"Well, that depends."  
"On?" Rhett raised an eyebrow.  
Link smirked, "If we plan on fooling around or not, I'd hate for your parents to hear us."  
Rhett blushed deeply, he scratched the back of his neck nervously, remembering the night he lost all control. "Um..I uh.." His heart fluttered, this was still very new to him.  
"It's okay Rhett, I'm not expecting us to fool around all day every day, you've still gotta get used to all this. Just take your time, okay?" Link nuzzled into Rhett's chest before pulling away, "Want some breakfast?"  
"Yes, please." Rhett walked over to the fridge and opened it, he pulled out the jug of orange juice and grabbed two glasses from the drying rack and filled them up. "Here you go." He handed one to Link and brought his own to his lips, taking a large gulp and making a soft 'ah' noise after.  
Rhett set down his glass and walked down the hallway to their bedroom, he stepped into the bathroom and brushed his teeth. He gargled water and spit it out, he kept the faucet on and took handfuls of water into his hands and wet his hair. He grabbed a towel from the rack and dried it off a little until his hair was just damp enough to toy with but not soaking. After taking a small dollop of pomade, he rubbed it between his fingers and threaded his fingers through his hair, smoothing it into his usual hair style but allowing his hair to take a more natural shape with his curls doing what they wanted.  
He got dressed in a pair of boxers, dark jeans, and a tshirt, and smiled at himself in the mirror. He was so thankful that he had decided to grow out a beard, he hated that he had to shave for Buddy System, needless to say his wife didn't give him any while he was clean shaven, though he had a feeling Link would have anyways.  
The thought of their previous night's tryst gave him shivers down his spine, despite the desire he felt to claim Link in every way imaginable, he wanted to go slowly with him and do it right. Rhett fought back the pleasurable thoughts coursing through his mind and left the bedroom, "What time did you wanna head out?"  
"I've gotta check the flight schedule, but I'm hoping for sometime soon, that way we can get there in time to have dinner with your parents. I know they're dying to see you, we've been so busy with our youtube show we didn't get to see them last Christmas." Link placed some sausage and eggs on Rhett's plate and put it on the kitchen island. He took out his phone and scanned the website of their local airport, there was a flight leaving within an hour and a half, "Soonest flight is at noon."  
Rhett nodded, "Sounds good to me."  
Link nodded and ordered their tickets.  
Rhett took a swig of his orange juice and gagged, forgetting that he had just brushed his teeth. "Ah, jeez." He groaned.  
Link turned with a quirked eyebrow and snickered, "Why did you brush your teeth before you ate? You know you're gonna brush 'em after you eat anyways." He teased.  
Rhett groaned, "Ugh, I dunno, my minds kinda everywhere today."  
Link poured a glass of water for Rhett and handed it to him.  
"Thanks."  
"Everything okay?" Link prepared a plate for himself and sat down across from him. "Wanna talk about it?"  
"Just kinda nervous."  
"About your dad's birthday?"  
"Yeah. I mean, this whole situation is new and strange enough as it is, but now I'm going to see my parents, who know we're together, it's just..wow." Rhett took a bite of his eggs. "Them knowing how I feel about you..that's a secret I always thought I'd die with. I can't imagine how I felt when I broke it to them, especially my dad." He shook his head.  
Link nodded as he listened.  
"I remember my dad was one of the biggest homophobes growing up, he always told me he'd kick me out and disown me if I ever turned out to be gay." Rhett felt his hands shake for a moment, "How'd that day go? I mean, what happened?"  
Link thought for a moment, "Well, we had already come out to our friends, and you decided you wanted to come out to your parents, you didn't like hiding anymore. On spring break when we went home, we were in your living room and you just kinda bared your soul to them, you could barely speak by the end of it because you were crying so hard. Your mom hugged you and said she loved you, your dad just kinda stayed quiet, I guess he was coming to terms with it all." He took a sip of his orange juice and cleared his throat, "He didn't say much, you didn't really hear from him until the break was over when we were back at school. He called you up and asked if he could come visit you at the dorm, when he came up to our room he gave you the biggest hug and cried, he said he was sorry for what he had said to you all those years, and that he loved you unconditionally. It was just hard for him in the beginning, because of the way he was raised, but he's been nothing but supportive since then."  
Rhett fought back tears, his hands trembling, he had never thought his dad would support him that way, he had always been so against the thought of same sex relationships that Rhett had become terrified in his college years because of the budding feelings he was having for Link, all he could do was push his feelings down out of sight and ignore them, alcohol definitely helped. Over the years, it became second nature to deny what he felt, to the point where he had nearly forgotten that they were even there to begin with.  
Link reached out his hand slowly and rested it on top of Rhett's clenched fist. "It's okay, Rhett." He whispered with a gentle smile.  
Rhett sniffled, a stray tear sliding down his cheek, he wiped it away and smiled at Link, "I'm so lucky, Link."  
"Oh?"  
"I got to come to this world where our love exists, it's just.." Rhett wiped at his eyes, "It's been incredible, the amount of love I feel makes me dizzy, I'm just so glad I don't have to hide anymore."  
"Me too." Link smiled and brought Rhett's hand to his lips and kissed it. "Let's go get our things packed." He gathered their dishes and put them into the dishwasher and turned it on before walking down the hall to the bedroom.  
Rhett smiled as he watched him walk away, Link truly was amazing, of all the relationships Rhett had had, including Jessie, no one had loved him so completely the way Link did.  
When Rhett joined Link in the bedroom, Link handed him his suitcase from their closet and put his own on the bed. Link took out his phone and quickly jotted down all the things he needed to pack and set it down by his suitcase, going over to his dresser to gather a few days worth of clothes.  
Rhett opened his suitcase and stepped over to his dresser, he grabbed three pairs of boxers, two pairs of jeans, three button up shirts, and three pairs of socks and stuffed them into the suitcase. He looked over at Link and watched the brunette painstakingly fold all his clothes and place them into his suitcase neatly in order, he rolled his eyes with a chuckle and walked over to his bedside table and took his phone charger from the wall and tossed it onto his pile of clothes within the suitcase. He went into the bathroom and brushed his teeth, gargled with mouthwash and went back into the bedroom, completely forgetting to grab his toiletries.  
Link stepped into the bathroom after Rhett, and after brushing his teeth, gathered his toiletries into a separate bag and called out to Rhett, "Rhett, you forgot your toothbrush." He said as he zipped his toiletry bag.  
"Oh shit, oops. Can you grab my toothbrush, toothpaste, pomade, and my shower gel while you're in there?" Rhett asked him as he stepped into a pair of his slip on tennis shoes.  
"Uh..which ones? You've only got a million in here." Link teased, a hand on his hip as he looked at Rhett's sink and it's many jars, bottles and tubes around it.  
Rhett stepped into the bathroom and chuckled, he pointed to the things he needed, "Oh, and my psoriasis lotion too."  
"Got it." Link gathered Rhett's body and hair care items and walked back into the bedroom, "Where's your toiletry bag?"  
"I have one of those?" Rhett quirked an eyebrow.  
"Well, I got you one, but I don't know where you put it. I forgot, that was before you came here."  
"I'm okay, I'll just pack it with the rest of my stuff." Rhett took his care products from Link and stuffed them into his suitcase, Link's nose crinkled, "What?" Rhett asked in confusion.  
"Rhett, come on, there's no order to all this." Link motioned to the clutter that was Rhett's suitcase, "How can you even keep track of all the stuff you're packing?"  
Rhett laughed loudly, clutching at his chest, as he came down from his laugh attack he wiped at his eye, "I love your OCPD, it's so cute."  
Link blushed and crossed his arms.  
"I have no order, and that's the best system, besides that means I don't spend an hour making a list and then packing, and then checking the list to make sure I packed everything." Rhett teased with a smile.  
"Go ahead and laugh, you'll be the one losing and forgetting things you need, you just nearly forgot your toothbrush, I shouldn't have reminded you!" Link smiled and made a teasing 'hmph' sound before going back to his list.  
Rhett smiled at Link, packing a book from his nightstand, and his earplugs, while Link packed a book of crossword puzzles, his laptop and its charger.  
"Alright, I think that's about it." Rhett zipped up his suitcase.  
Link packed their various vitamins, and over the counter medicines "just in case", and grabbed his neck pillow, "Okay, I'm all set." He smiled. "Are you driving, or am I? I can't remember who drove last." He grabbed his camera from his nightstand and slid it into his front pocket.  
"I don't mind driving." Rhett went into the front room to grab the keys and left through the front door, walking to the car with Link following close behind him, who was huffing and puffing under the strain of his heavy suitcase.  
Rhett chuckled, "Did you remember to pack the kitchen sink?" He teased as he opened the trunk door and tossed his suitcase inside.  
"Oh ha-ha." Link rolled his eyes, heaving his heavy suitcase into the trunk. "Whew." He sighed and put his neck pillow on and went to the passenger side door.  
Rhett unlocked the doors and got into the driver's side, he buckled himself in, pushed the seat back to accommodate his long legs, and fiddled with the radio until he found the "oldies" station. After Link got into his side and got situated, Rhett backed out of the driveway and made his way down the main street that lead to the airport.  
Link pulled out his camera from his pocket and turned it on, facing him, "Hey guys! Guess what? We're on our way home to Buies Creek to see Rhett's parents for his dad's birthday." Link grinned happily and turned the camera to Rhett, "Excited about going back home, babe?"  
Rhett smiled at the camera, this time he felt as if they weren't pretending anymore, they were a happy, and in love couple. "Yep! I gotta say, I'm really missing home, it's been so long, plus I'm excited because we'll get to show our viewers some of our old hangouts."  
They spent the next twenty minutes talking back and forth as Link recorder, and as they arrived at the airport, Link turned the camera to face the airport sitting in front of them, "Here we are at LAX, we've got a six hour flight ahead of us!" He turned off his camera and put it back into his pocket. "Ready?"  
Rhett smiled, "Yeah." He turned off the car and got out, he opened the trunk and took out their suitcases, closed the trunk and pushed the "lock" button on his key fob. He pulled the handle of of his suitcase and walked with it up onto the sidewalk and waited for Link to join him by his side. After putting his neck pillow into his suitcase, Link fell into step beside him and they made their way into the airport. Rhett felt excitement bubbling up inside of him, just like he always did when he went back home, no matter how long they were away from North Carolina, it would always be their home.  
Link walked over to the main desk, "Hi, how can I help you?' The lady behind the desk asked.  
"I ordered two round-way tickets to Raleigh, the names are Link Neal and Rhett McLaughlin."  
The lady searched for their names and smiled, "Okay, can I have your ID's?" After they both showed her their ID's, she printed out their tickets and handed them to Link, "Have a nice flight!"  
Link handed Rhett's tickets to him and turned on his camera, "Got our tickets, now onto the security check. Hey Rhett, you think they'll cavity search us? That could be fun." He teased.  
Rhett blushed, "Oh god I hope not! That's an exit only!"  
"Just what a Top would say." Link smirked into the camera, while Rhett blushed in the background.  
"And I guess that means you're the Bottom, hm?" Rhett pinched Link's ass, making the brunette whimper loudly.  
"Rhett!" Link hissed in embarrassment, swatting at Rhett's hand while Rhett laughed in reply.  
Link turned off the camera and slid it into the front pocket of his suitcase and took Rhett's hand in his. "You're such a tease." He chuckled.  
Rhett looked down at their clasped hands and felt his cheeks grow warm, he smiled over at him, not caring who saw them together, "Hey, you started it." He leaned in and kissed the brunette's temple.  
Link smiled and gave Rhett a quick side squeeze as they made their way over to the security check. He slid off his shoes and put them into one of the plastic designated bins, and put his suitcase behind it on the conveyor belt. He stepped forward to the giant yellow foot markers and stood how the lady told him, with his arms outstretched as they x-rayed him. After he was cleared, he left the x-ray and walked over to his belongings and put his shoes on, he put his suitcase onto the floor and waited for Rhett to finish his x-ray.  
Once their security check was finished, Link looked down at their tickets, "We're at gate 7, it's over there." Link pointed, and they made their way towards their gate. They handed the man at the gate their tickets for Raleigh and walked down the winding snake shaped corridor to the plane.  
Rhett walked over to their seats and after Link retrieved his camera and neck pillow, Rhett lifted their suitcases and put them into the overhead storage spaces. Link took the window seat and Rhett took the aisle seat, thankful that Link had gotten exit door rows, giving him much more leg room.  
Link turned on his camera and turned it towards them, "Smile!" He grinned and pressed his cheek to Rhett's, Rhett smiled and the flash went off. Link looked at the picture and smiled, "You look gorgeous, I'm loving this new wild and untamed look you're doing with your hair."  
Rhett smiled and chuckled, "I'm one step closer to becoming a wild viking man." He said, remembering that his Link had called him a viking when he had begun growing out his hair longer than he normally did.  
"Well you know, I'm not opposed to the idea of you growing your hair out, I think you'd look pretty sexy with long hair." Link bit his lower lip, suppressing a dopey smile.  
"I may just have to." Rhett teased and leaned his chair back a little, relaxing in his seat.  
Link put his neck pillow behind his neck and sighed as he rested the back of his head against his seat. He took out his phone and sent a text to Rhett's mom, letting them know they were boarded and on their way. A few minutes later, his phone vibrated and he smiled, "Your mom says she can't wait to see us." Link whispered to him, Rhett smiled.  
The captain came onto the speaker system after everyone had finished boarding, what he said, Rhett didn't know, he was far too invested in the word puzzle game on his phone. Flights were always fun when he was a kid, but as he got older they became very boring, the only joy he had during a flight was from the many games on his phone and knowing that Link would pass out and he'd get to take a picture of him sleeping with his mouth hung open.  
The plane began to roll down the runway and lift into the air, as they reached a cruising altitude, a feeling of floating weightlessness overcame Link and his eyes began to droop, just like always, it was like being rocked to sleep. Before long, his head lolled to the side a little and his mouth fell open, softly snoring as he fell asleep.  
Rhett heard a soft snort coming from Link and he chuckled, he turned to look at the softly sleeping brunette and felt his heart flutter. He reached over to Link's lap and gently picked up the camera, he turned it on and began recording himself, "Just like death and taxes are inevitable, so is Link falling asleep on a plane, it's like clockwork." He chuckled softly and turned the camera to face Link, recording the small facial twitches he had as he dreamed. He turned the camera a little to get a view of the plane in the air, smiling as he watched the clouds pass by, he was excited to see his parents and his old home.  
The rest of the flight went smoothly, Rhett lost himself in his games, almost not noticing when the plane was beginning to descend. He turned off his phone and slid it into his pocket, he reached out a hand and gently rubbed Link's shoulder, "Bo? Time to get up, we're home." He whispered.  
Link snorted as he awoke and groaned sleepily, "We're here?" He mumbled.  
"Mhm."  
Link yawned and lifted his head, taking off his neck pillow. "Hey, where's my camera?" He looked around him, not finding it on his lap.  
Rhett grinned, "I have it."  
Link looked at him with wide eyes, "Oh no..you didn't, did you? Not again." He groaned.  
Rhett laughed, "I couldn't help it, Link, you just look so cute." He handed the camera to him, biting back a grin.  
"Perv." Link teased with a smile and slid his camera into his front jeans pocket.  
The plane landed without a problem and rolled into its position beside the twisting snake corridor, the captain coming over the speakers once more to tell the passengers that they had arrived.  
Rhett stood up and grabbed their suitcases, handing Link his before walking down the aisle to get to the door. He walked into the corridor with Link beside him and smiled when they got into the Raleigh Airport, he looked over at Link and grinned, Link knew what that smile meant, it meant their first stop was Cookout to get milkshakes, like always.  
Rhett wrapped his left arm over Link's shoulders as they walked to the front doors of the airport, "Welcome home, Link." He whispered and pressed a soft kiss to Link's cheek.


	14. Between the Sheets

Rhett stepped outside the airport and surveyed the street, when he saw a taxi he waved to the driver. The taxi driver pulled up to the curb and got out, he popped open the trunk and held out his hands. Rhett and Link handed the man their luggage and got into the back of the cab, Rhett was buzzing with excitement, it felt like it had been forever since he had been home, and he couldn't deny he was excited to see his parents in this new chapter of his life. 

Link looked over at him, noticing that his left knee was bouncing up and down, he smiled and stroked Rhett's knee, "Excited, babe?"

Rhett smiled brightly, "Yeah. It feels so good to be back home." He watched the driver get back into the car.

"Where to?" The driver asked as he put his car into drive.

"Cookout please, and after we need to go to the Comfort Inn in Buies Creek." Rhett answered the cabbie, who responded with a small "Mhm" as he inputted the destinations into his GPS.

"How often do you go home..you know-" Link leaned over, "In your other life?" He whispered, to make sure the taxi driver didn't hear him, he'd probably look at them like they were crazy if he had heard. 

"Not that often, we usually come back during Christmas, and sometimes Thanksgiving. We have a pretty tight schedule most of the time, so we don't get to go home as much as we'd like. Jessie prefers staying in California, but me, no matter how long I stay there it doesn't change the fact that home is Carolina to me." Rhett gave a shrug.

"Well, our schedules are much more flexible here, you can just sit back and enjoy yourself." Link smiled and turned on his camera, taking pictures of the passing city as they made their way towards the nearest Cookout. He took a picture of the Cookout sign as they neared it and rolled down his window when they rolled up to the drive thru. 

"Hi, welcome to Cookout, what can I get you?" A small voice came from the intercom.

"Can you give me a second please?"

"Sure!"

Link looked over at Rhett, knowing that he would take a minute with his order, and Link, contrary to his partner's personality, had strict likes and dislikes and always gravitated to his favorites rather than trying something new. 

Rhett leaned forward and studied the menu, "Hmm.." He murmured as he thought. "A large strawberry cheesecake milkshake." He told Link.

"Okay, I'm ready. I'll have a peanut butter milkshake, and a strawberry cheesecake milkshake, please." Link fished his hand into his pocket to grab his wallet and unfolded it, taking out a ten dollar bill. As they came to the first window, he held out the ten to the cashier, she handed him his change and stepped aside to get their milkshakes.

"Here you go, enjoy!" The lady handed Link the two milkshakes with a smile.

"Thank you." Link handed Rhett his milkshake, and drew the straw between his lips and sucked hard, fighting against the thickness of the milkshake until he finally got a small sip. "Mmm. God, that's good." He groaned.

Rhett chuckled, "You're supposed to wait until it melts a little bit, ya know."

"Yeah but I'm thirsty now, I don't wanna wait. This is peanut butter we're talking about." Link began sucking the straw once more and it made squeaking sounds as he forced the thick liquid into the small straw. Rhett rolled his eyes with a smile in response.

Link scooted next to Rhett and put his camera at arms length, snapping a picture of them both smiling with their milkshakes. "Well don't you look cute." Link chuckled and tucked his camera away. He looked to the driver, "Sir? Could you put it on the oldies station, please?"

"Yeah, sure." The driver fiddled with the knobs until he found the oldies station and turned it up a little.

The duo sat in silence, drinking their milkshakes as they listened to the music of their youth. The taxi made its way through the city, whizzing past the high skylines of Raleigh until they began to fade and in its place were hundreds of fields and farms. The air somehow seemed sweeter, no longer tainted by the pollutants of the city, instead it smelled of earth, plants, and freshly bloomed honeysuckles.

After a forty five minute ride, they finally came to the Comfort Inn, Rhett paid the cabbie and tossed his empty milkshake cup into the trashcan near his feet along with Link's empty cup. He got out of the taxi and after the driver popped the trunk, he grabbed his suit case and handed Link's to him. 

The driver said his goodbyes to the pair, and drove off. 

Rhett fell into step beside Link as they walked up the sidewalk to the front doors of the hotel, excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach, this would be their first time sharing a hotel room as a couple. Their past excursions came to mind and he found himself laughing remembering the many times he had woken up to Link spooning with him. He walked to the front desk and set down his suitcase, the lady behind the desk smiled up at them.

"Hi, how can I help you?" She asked.

"We need a room please, with a king sized bed, no smoking preferably." Rhett said as he got out his wallet.

"Alright, let me see.." She typed a few things into her computer and smiled, "We have one vacancy, you're just in time. How many nights are you planning on staying?"

Rhett looked over at Link with a quirked eyebrow, "Three sound okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds perfect." Link smiled, his hand gently squeezing Rhett's. 

"Three, please." Rhett answered the receptionist. 

"Okay, great. That'll be three hundred and twelve dollars. I'll need a credit card and ID, please."

Rhett handed the lady his credit card and his ID, "Is there a swimming pool here still? It's been a while since I've been here."

"Yes, and we've just recently gotten in a jacuzzi."

Rhett grinned and looked at Link, wagging his eyebrows suggestively, to which Link playfully jabbed him in the side with his elbow.

The receptionist handed Rhett a paper to fill out and gave him back his credit card and ID after logging them. Once Rhett finished the paperwork, the lady handed him two keycards and smiled, "You're in room 400, just go down this hall to the right and you'll come to the elevators. Your room will be on the left. Enjoy your stay."

"Thanks, you too." Rhett answered, he paused and shook his head, "Er..well, you know what I mean." He laughed softly and picked up his suitcase. They walked down the hallway to the double elevators, and Rhett pressed the "up" button. The doors opened with a loud bing and they stepped inside, Rhett pressed the number four button on the panel and leaned against the inside of the elevator, tapping his fingers absentmindedly.

"You okay?" Link asked, noticing his fidgeting fingers.

"Hm?" Rhett brought his attention to Link, "I'm sorry, I kinda spaced out, what'd you say?"

Link pointed to Rhett's hand, "Are you ok? You seem nervous."

Rhett blushed and stilled his fingers, "Well..maybe a little bit."

Link stepped closer, "What's up?"

"It's just that..I don't know, this whole thing is so new to me, I mean we're gonna be visiting my parents, I never thought there'd be a day where I see them while you're on my arm. My parents knowing that I like men, it's something I've hidden for so long, something I thought they'd never know." Rhett huffed. 

Link smiled gently and took his left hand and kissed the knuckles, "It's okay, Rhett, I'm right here with you. You can lean on me as much as you need to, I'll carry you the whole way if I have to."

Rhett felt a tug at his heart as he looked down at Link, how could he be so lucky as to have such an incredible person be his? "You're amazing." He whispered, closing the gap between them. He pressed Link close to his chest and nuzzled his face into Link's hair, inhaling the scent of his fruity shampoo. 

"I know." Link teased with a giggle and gave Rhett a long squeeze, his ear pressed firmly to the blond's chest, he smiled when he heard the fluttering of his heart pounding against his chest.

The elevator stilled and the doors opened, hesitantly Rhett pulled away and pressed a kiss to Link's forehead before grabbing his suitcase and exiting the elevator. Rhett walked down the hall that lead to the rooms 400-430, and stopped in front of room 400. He slid his keycard into the slot and opened the door, he inhaled deeply and was thankful that there were no traces of a scent of cigarette smoke, it had always disgusted him. Rhett went to the dresser and began to unpack his things, leaving the rest of his items to sit on top of it. He collapsed onto the side of the bed that was closest to the AC and let out a sigh.

Link chuckled and busied himself with unpacking, making sure to put everything in its right place. Once he was done, he sat down on the edge of the bed and gave Rhett's knee a squeeze, "You ready to leave, babe?".

Rhett smiled and grabbed Link's shirt, tugging it sharply until Link fell backwards onto the bed beside him. "C'mere you." He growled playfully and pulled the brunette close, capturing his lips. 

Link whimpered into the kiss, the feeling of Rhett's soft beard tickling his face made him giggle, he swiped his tongue along Rhett's lower lip before drawing it between his lips to suck it, and he pulled away. "Don't start something you can't finish." Link whispered, almost out of breath, his chest heaving as arousal flooded his senses.

Rhett smiled and kissed the tip of Link's nose before he sat up, "Okay, handsome, let's go." He stood up and held out his hand, once Link took his hand he pulled him to his feet and popped him on the ass, to which the brunette gasped and whimpered. 

"Tease." Link pouted and gave a pinch to Rhett's upper arm before leaving the hotel room. 

Rhett dialed the number of a taxi as they made their way out of the hotel and onto the sidewalk. After ten minutes of waiting, the cab rolled up to the curb beside them. Rhett opened the door for Link and got in after him, "102 Old Church Road please." He told the driver and buckled himself in. 

Link took a recording of their drive to Rhett's home, silently watching all the houses and fields that they passed by, remembering the many great times he had shared with Rhett. "It hasn't changed a bit.." He whispered to himself with a smile. 

When they finally arrived at Rhett's house, Link got out of the car first, taking a video while Rhett paid the driver and got out after him. Rhett stood next to Link and wrapped his arm around his waist, it was the only thing keeping him grounded right now. Link leaned into the embrace and turned off his camera, tucking it into his pocket. "You ready?" He whispered gently.

Rhett nodded, "Yeah, I..I think I am." He inhaled deeply through his nose and walked up the walkway leading to the front door, his hand stilled at the door a moment before he gained the courage to knock hard two times.

A few seconds later, the door flew open to reveal his mother, she grinned and squealed as she drew Rhett into a tight hug. "Rhett! My baby, you're here!" She giggled and kissed his cheek, she looked over at Link and smiled brightly, "Come here, you!" She hugged Link with just as much enthusiasm and stood back, "Let me look at you." She eyed Rhett and smiled, "I see Link is keeping my baby well fed." She patted his stomach, "Come on in." She stepped aside to allow them to walk in, "Jim! They're here!" She called to her husband.

Jim stepped into the room, his glasses sitting on top of his head, "Hey you two." He smiled and hugged Rhett, "Nice to see ya, stranger!" He looked over at Link and drew him into a hug, "Nice to see you, Linkster."

Link laughed, "Nice to see you too, Mister McLaughlin." 

Diane patted the couch, "Come sit down."

Rhett and Link sat down next to each other, Rhett sitting closest to Diane. "Happy Birthday, dad. The big six-four!" He smiled. 

Jim chuckled and sat down in his recliner, "Thanks, son."

"We got you a little something." Link smiled and took out his phone, Rhett looked over at him with a confused expression, in truth his father wasn't one for gifts on his birthday, and he was confused as to what Link had gotten him.

"Oh, come on, you two didn't have to do that." Jim waved him away with a smile. 

"No, we wanted to. You and Diane have been so wonderful and loving, you deserve it." Link swiped on his phone and handed it to Jim. 

Jim's eyes widened, "Whoa..is this-?" He looked to Link and Rhett for the answer.

Link smiled, "Yep! A cruise to the Caribbean for you and Diane!"

Diane gasped, "Oh my gosh, really?"

Link nodded and chuckled, "We figured you two could use a nice vacation."

Jim handed Link his phone back and pulled him into a hug, "Thank you both, this is wonderful!" He hugged Rhett to him tightly.

Diane smiled and kissed Link's cheek and hugged Rhett, "I love you." She whispered to them both. She dabbed at her teary eyes and sniffled, "Ah! Look at the time. Are you two hungry?"

"Starving." Rhett patted his stomach. 

"Link?" Diane looked over at the brunette as she stood.

"I could eat a horse." Link smiled, leaning against Rhett's shoulder.

"Well good, I've got some chili on the stove, it should be done here soon. You boys go set up the table and wash up." Diane smiled and stepped into the kitchen, she stirred at the big pot of chili on the stove and tasted it. She grabbed some various spices from the cabinet above the stove and sprinkled some into the mixture, she tasted it again and smiled. "Perfect!"

Rhett rolled his eyes with a smile, "Same old mom." He whispered to Link teasingly and walked with him into the kitchen, he grabbed half the dishes, glasses, and silverware while Link grabbed the other half, they stepped into the dining room and began placing everything in it's rightful place. After they were finished setting the table, they walked into the bathroom to wash their hands. Rhett lathered up the soap in his hands and made sure to clean under his fingernails before rinsing off the suds, Link went after him and Rhett left to go to the dining room, knowing that Link would take a little bit longer as his process was more intensive. 

Rhett sat down at his usual spot in the dining room and his father came in after him, sitting down at the head of the table. Link came in shortly after, and sat across from Rhett, he slid his foot up Rhett's left leg with a smile, gently rubbing his leg in an affectionate way, Rhett smiled at him and gave a wink. Diane stepped into the dining room with the pot of chili and a ladle and began to serve everyone, and lastly herself. She disappeared into the kitchen and came back with a pitcher of sweet tea, she poured the tea into everyone's glasses and set it down in the middle of the table before sitting down. 

Rhett grabbed his spoon and shoveled the spicy chili into his mouth, sighing happily when the delicious taste touched his tongue, he had always looked forward to his mothers cooking but this was by far his favorite. "This is delicious, mom." He said with a mouthful of his food.

Diane chuckled, "Thank you honey, but don't talk with your mouth full, I don't want you to choke."

Link looked over at Rhett with a smile, Diane had always been such a sweet person, he knew where Rhett's kindness and gentle way had come from. 

"So, how's the work going, boys?" Jim asked before taking a sip of his tea. 

"It's going pretty well, dad. Life's just..great." Rhett smiled, taking another bite of his chili. 

The rest of the night went smoothly, filled with great conversation and laughs, and at the end was interrupted by Diane wanting to show Link the new photo album she had put together while Jim retired early and Rhett cleaned up the dishes. After all the dishes were put away, Rhett walked into the living room to see Link and Diane on the couch with the photo album in their laps, laughing and pointing at the pictures of Rhett and Link in their many silly poses. "Remember this one? This was at Rhett's seventh birthday party. You two ate so much pizza and ice cream I thought you'd get sick!" Diane laughed softly. She drew Link into a hug, "I'm so glad you two decided to come, I've missed you both. You really made Jim's birthday special."

Link smiled, "I'm glad you both liked it! I sent the tickets to your email, all you have to do is print them out. Let us know how it goes, I expect plenty of pictures."

Diane grinned, "Oh absolutely."

Rhett cleared his throat and quirked an eyebrow, "Having fun?" He smiled softly.

Link looked up and smiled, "Yeah, we're looking at some old pictures. Look at this one." He held out the album and pointed to a picture.

"Oh gosh..our hip hop phase." Rhett groaned with a laugh. "Those were the days."

Rhett stepped aside and called for an taxi while Link and his mother continued looking at all the photos. When they came to the end of the album, he stepped over to his mom, feeling bad for cutting the day short, but he couldn't think of anything more than spending the night with Link in his arms; he could see his parents whenever he wanted, but his moments with Link were numbered, he knew it, and so he made it a point to cherish every single one. "We're gonna head out, mama, it was great seeing you." 

"It was great seeing you two, sweetheart." Diane stood and hugged Rhett tightly, after she hugged him she pulled Link into a tight embrace, "Love you both." She smiled, her eyes tearing as they left the house. Her heart swelled with pride, her son had grown into a wonderful young man and found someone just as amazing to share in his life.

Rhett stood outside beside Link, drinking in the sweet afternoon air, admiring the pinks and blues of the clouds as the sun set. "I forgot how beautiful it is here." He whispered, inhaling deeply, the scent of grass and freshly bloomed flowers filling his nostrils. 

Link smiled and pulled him into a side hug, "Not as beautiful as you." He said, barely above a whisper, he looked up at the tall blond and found himself swooning, he could smell the thin layer of sweat on Rhett's skin, which mixed sweetly with the woodsy scent of his deodorant. When Rhett turned his attention to him, he felt warmth swell within his chest, even after thirty years he still had butterflies whenever he looked his way.

Rhett kissed the top of Link's head, his heart fluttering, was it possible to be this happy? Certainly this was all some sick joke created by God to bring him to the point of blinding love and passion just to wrench it away at the last minute. That's when he realized, _he didn't want to go home_ , he couldn't go back to that shit hole that was his life, even for his kids. The thought made his stomach clench, he was a terrible father for thinking that, but he knew that his old life could barely be called a life, living in the shadows, afraid to speak what he felt, it was nothing but torture and that was no life to live. _Please don't make me go back, I don't want this to end_ , he thought to himself, his hands clenching as he tried to fight the anxiety back into its hiding hole.

The taxi rolled up to the curb and Rhett stepped forward, opening the door for Link. After Link climbed in, he hopped in beside him, his knee gently touching the brunette's, he felt a jolt of excitement hit him, the air between them was electrified, even the smallest touches damn near drove him over the edge. He told the driver what hotel they were staying at and they cruised along the roads in silence, both men cuddling in the back seats, completely absorbed in the other and the gentle chaste caresses they could give. 

They arrived at the hotel and Rhett tucked the money into the man's hand before exiting the taxi, he stretched a moment and looked over at Link with a grin, "Wanna go for a swim?" He waggled his eyebrows with a goofy grin.

Link giggled and shoved him aside for a moment, "Duh! Race you upstairs, old man." He teased and ran to the front doors. He threw the front doors open and ran towards the stairs on the left, taking them three at a time.

"Hey! No fair!" Rhett yelled up behind him, fighting against the strain in his lower back as he bounded up the stairs. He finally caught up with Link, easily speeding past him thanks to his long legs. "Bye, slowpoke!" He chuckled and stopped in front of their door, bending over to touch his knees, attempting to catch his breath.

Link panted as he leaned against the wall, "That was hardly fair, you've got longer legs!"

Rhett rolled his eyes, "Fair? You're the one who took a head start, and you _still_ lost. Don't be a sore loser." He chuckled and grabbed Link's wrist and pulled him to him, he smiled down at him and brought his lips down to meet the brunette's.

Link melted into his arms, his hands sliding up Rhett's shoulders slowly until his fingers began to thread through his blond locks. He pulled away from Rhett after a moment, his eyes lidded and his mind swarming with feel-good hormones, "What were we arguing about again?" He asked breathlessly.

Rhett chuckled, "You were about to congratulate me on beating you." He teased, pressing his lips to Link's right ear.

Link growled playfully, "Keep kissing me like that and I'll agree to damn near anything."

"Oh, I know." Rhett whispered deeply, his voice dropping an octave, and it sent shivers down Link's spine. He tucked the keycard into Link's hands, "Open the door before I ravage you right here in the hallway." 

Link whimpered in response, "That wouldn't be too bad.." He whispered, drawing his lower lip between his teeth before he slid the keycard into the slot and opened their door. After they stepped over the threshold, Link shut the door behind them and drew Rhett into an embrace, his lips placing feverish kisses on Rhett's throat. Rhett let out a whimper in response to the sudden touch, Link knew every single one of Rhett's most sensitive areas, and his neck was at the very top of the list. "You know, many times when I wanted to get my way, I'd simply do this-" He whispered hot against Rhett's skin and kissed his right pulse point before drawing it between his teeth in a sharp bite, Rhett gasped and moaned suddenly. "And you'd do whatever I asked." Link chuckled lowly.

Rhett felt heat creep up his neck, a soft blush covering his cheeks as an all too familiar throb began to pulse between his thighs, pressing hard against the zipper of his jeans, begging to be touched. "I-I don't doubt it. When you do that..I-" He gulped, "I get dizzy." He whispered, wavering a little.

"Take off your shirt, and lay down on the bed." Link whispered against Rhett's ear.

"Um..okay." Rhett slowly sat down and drew his tshirt over his head, tossing it aside before he eased himself down flat onto the bed, his heart pounding as he looked up at Link, he was so used to being the one in control in all of his relationships, never had he relinquished control. "What are you-" Rhett's words were cut off by Link's lips pressing to his. His eyes fluttered closed and he slid his hands up Link's chest. 

Link grabbed Rhett's wrists and forced them to either side of his head, he pulled his lips away for a moment, breathing heavily, "No. Tonight is about you." He looked into Rhett's eyes, noticing a certain apprehensiveness. He reached out a hand and gently ran his fingers through the blond's hair, "Don't think, just let go of everything, let me carry the weight. If you want me to stop, say "Banana"." He whispered encouragingly, "Do you understand?" He asked, when Rhett nodded, he leaned down to Rhett's neck. Link kissed down Rhett's neck, taking time to toy with his weak spot with his tongue and teeth, drawing out moan after moan from Rhett. Slowly he worked his way down Rhett's chest, trailing kisses along his collarbone to his left nipple, he slid his tongue around it before bringing it between his lips and sucking the sensitive bud, earning a soft, almost inaudible gasp from his lover. 

"Link.." Rhett whispered, his chest rising and falling quickly, his length rock solid and pressing hard against his jeans, the sensation near painful. 

Link looked down at the bulge in Rhett's jeans and chuckled, "Soon enough, Rhett." He whispered and bit at Rhett's nipple, the blond letting out a whimper from the sudden flash of pleasurable pain. Link's hands slid down Rhett's sides as he kissed down to his belly button, his hands toying with Rhett's nipples as he left hickies on his lower abdomen. His hand ghosted over Rhett's bulge and the taller man let out a whine, his hips instinctively moving forwards, frantically searching for release. He unbuttoned Rhett's jeans and slid the zipper down slowly, making sure not to press forward to grant him the sweet friction he yearned for. Link slid Rhett's jeans down and once his legs were free, he tossed them aside, admiring the hardened length that struggled against the cotton fabric of the blond's boxers. 

"How much do you want me?" Link whispered, his fingers walking along Rhett's tanned thigh, slowly coming closer to his member. When Rhett didn't answer, his eyes traveled to Rhett's face, who was blushing profusely, nearly biting a hole through his lower lip. "Aw. What's the matter baby? You embarrassed?" Link got onto his knees in front of him and slowly slid his finger along Rhett's length as softly as he could, knowing that the fabric would dull the sensation, driving him even further over the edge into insanity. 

Rhett whined in response, his hips quivering under Link's teasing fingers, he looked away defiantly, embarrassed to say the words. When Link kissed him through the fabric and slid his tongue against him in one long lick, he gasped and beneath him, letting out a whimper when Link pulled away.

"I can't hear you." Link mocked with a smirk, coyly drawing circles against Rhett's right thigh. "I want to hear you say it, Rhett. Tell me how much you want my lips around your cock."

Rhett's face turned a deeper shade of red, his hardness twitching with arousal, "Please..please touch me, Link. Please!" He begged, unable to withstand the torture any longer.

"Good boy, that's what I like to hear." Link purred and slowly eased Rhett's boxers down, grinning at Rhett's obvious arousal. "So big, Rhett, how am I ever going to take it all?" He whispered, his hot breath hitting Rhett's length. Rhett whimpered beneath him, when Link's lips wrapped around the tip of Rhett's length, he moaned loudly, pleasure burning deep within him. Link watched him with fascination, with every flick of his tongue the blond writhed, uttering intelligible sounds, almost as if he were uttering some long forgotten sacrificial incantation. 

As Link lower himself, taking more of Rhett's length into his mouth, Rhett began to grip the sheets in an attempt to regain some of his grip on reality. Rhett's body shuddered under Link, already so close to the edge of that incredibly pleasurable precipice. Link withdrew him from his mouth and began to stroke his length, teasing his thumb underneath the tip in each upward stroke, "Ask me, Rhett." He ordered, drawing him closer to climax before slowing his pace, forcing him to cool down before bringing him back to the edge. "Ask me or I won't let you."

Rhett panted, his knuckles white from gripping the sheets so tightly, he couldn't handle this anymore, it was too much. He looked into Link's eyes, they seemed to darken, it was almost as if this wasn't the same Link he had fallen in love with, who was this incubus in his bed? Link trailed his tongue against his sharp canines, Rhett couldn't deny the impulse to comply with his dominant lover's commands, he was completely under his sway, the dam broke. "Please Sir, let me cum!" He begged, worrying his lower lip between his teeth.

Link smirked, "Good boy." He swirled his tongue against the tip before drawing it between his lips, lowering himself so that every inch was in his mouth. He sucked against Rhett's thickness and wiggled his tongue against the underside of his length, his left pointer finger gently prodding Rhett's tight hole for a moment before forcing it through the tight ring of muscles.

Rhett's world shattered and his vision erupted in fireworks as he hit his climax, the presence of Link's finger nudging against his prostate was too much to handle. His hips thrust upwards instinctively as he came, his warm juices hitting the back of Link's throat. He writhed beneath Link's mouth, tugging at the sheets so hard he feared he might rip them, "Link!!" He screamed in ecstasy.

Link gulped down Rhett's cum with a smirk, taking his time to trail his tongue against every inch of his length to gather any forgotten drops. He came up for air, panting softly, his own arousal forgotten about. He crawled into bed beside Rhett and pulled him to his chest, holding the trembling blond close. "It's okay. I'm here." He whispered gently, smoothing out Rhett's hair, he kissed his damp forehead and rubbed his right arm, working gentle circles into his shoulder.

Rhett remained in Link's arms for nearly fifteen minutes, finally his trembling had ceased and he regained the use of his limbs, no longer feeling as if he were going to pass out from the sheer force of his orgasm. "That was.." He whispered, gulping to stimulate his salivary glands to wet his parched mouth, "I never thought-"

Link chuckled, "I bet. That was something we discovered in college." He stared up at the ceiling with a smile, "You prefer being the dominant one, but every now and again you get the urge, and I don't mind being that for you."

Rhett raised an eyebrow, "You do it just because I like it?"

Link shook his head, "I do it for me too, it's fun to let the inner wolf out once in a while, ya know? Like that thing with the ropes, I never thought I'd be into it until you showed me." He snuggled into Rhett's chest.

Rhett's eyes widened and he cleared his throat, "Uh..ropes..?" He looked to Link in confusion.

"Mhm." Link said sleepily, his eyes fluttering closed as he listened to Rhett's steady heartbeat. 

"So are we..like into that Fifty Shades of Grey stuff? I saw that with Jessie, it was..umm.." Rhett's face turned bright red, "Pretty interesting, she wasn't for it though so I kinda put it to bed."

Link chuckled, "That's a really _bad_ example, but yes, that's why we came up with a safe word. We always respect the use of our safe word and our hard limits, we don't push either of them. Mind you, it's not something we bring to bed every night, but it's something we indulge in like once a month."

"Wow.." Rhett whispered, his mind abuzz as he wondered just exactly what they had tried and what their limits were, it certainly wasn't something he had ever taken part in, so it was all new for him. He looked over at Link, smiling softly, "Shouldn't I be the one that's tired?" He whispered and kissed Link's brow.

"I'm sorry babe, today's just been a big day." Link kissed Rhett's bare chest, "Did you have fun?"

"I think that's putting it lightly." Rhett chuckled and leaned over, turning off the bedside lamp. He felt Link move around on the bed, the sound of clothes hitting the floor seconds later. Rhett slid under the covers and held the covers up for Link to get under, and pulled him close when he laid beside him. "Goodnight, baby." He whispered.

 

 


End file.
